Letter for Classmates’ Families -- Raising awareness in your child’s classroom
The following template serves as a starting point for a letter that can be shared with other parents to introduce them to Mastocytosis. Text that is bound by brackets ([]) should be customized based on your specific circumstances.
Dear Parent:
My [son/daughter] [Child's Name] attends [class/grade] with your child. You may have noticed that [Child's Name] has several spots on [his/her] skin. These spots are not contagious. Spots happen. Please read on if you'd like to learn more.
[Child's Name] has a rare disease called Mastocytosis. Mastocytosis results from having too many mast cells in the body. Mast cells are a kind of blood cell that resides in our body's tissues (for example: our skin, lungs and the linings of our stomach and intestines). Mast cells play an important role in defending the body against infections. Mastocytosis can occur at any age and it is not known why some individuals have too many mast cells. There is also no known cure.
While little is known about Mastocytosis, what is known is that it affects each child differently. For [Child's Name], [insert brief desciption of child's primary symptoms such as hives, skin appearance, abdominal and bone pain, etc].
While there is no cure, we are taking the appropriate measures and precautions to treat the symptoms. We are also taking steps to educate others and increase awareness of the disease. You and your child also play an important role simply by treating [Child's Name] just like any other child.
If you or your child have any questions or would like more information about Mastocytosis, please ask me. I'm always very happy to help others better understand this disease. You can also check out www.mastokids.org. It's a great website for information on Mastocytosis and its impact on children.
