Wednesday, June 18, 2025
May 11 marked the beginning of Food Allergy Awareness Week, an annual event encouraging public health advocates to support people susceptible to dangerous allergic reactions, and one local high school student is urgently spreading the word.
About 1 in 10 adults in the United States have some kind of food allergy, according to the advocacy group Food Allergy Research and Education. A severe allergic reaction can lead to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition that requires quick medical intervention, such as with an epinephrine injection, usually with an EpiPen.
The statewide push for a law equipping law enforcement officers with EpiPens began in 2013, when 13-year-old Giovanni Cipriano died of an allergic reaction to peanuts. The measure, known as Gio’s Law, was passed in Suffolk County in 2023, but has yet to be adopted in Nassau.
Jordana Wohlleben, a junior at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, spoke to community members about the dangers of allergies at the Merrick Golf Course Club House on March 25. She has seasonal allergies as well as food allergies to apples and tree nuts — and even one bite of an allergen could put her at risk of anaphylaxis.
“I wanted to pick an issue that was important to me and with my past with allergies and my anaphylaxis,” she said. “I really related to Gio’s story, and I really wanted to help spread awareness.”
Jordana’s parents, Danielle and Adam Wohlleben, have wholeheartedly supported her efforts.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing that she’s trying to do, because obviously this is an issue that can be fixed,” Danielle Wohlleben said. “If we can just have EpiPens accessible with police vehicles and personnel, I believe that they can definitely save a bunch of lives.”
“It’s important for them to be first responders, have EpiPens and to have the legislation pass in Nassau County, which has over a million people,” Adam Wohlleben said. “Grassroots effort and having other people spreading it their own way is gonna really make it happen.”
In an emergency, EMS personnel are equipped with EpiPens, but they may not be the first to arrive on the scene. If a police officer arrives first, he said, that could be a critical opportunity to save a life.
“We are extremely proud of her,” he said of his daughter.
Jordana’s strong advocacy for Gio’s Law is part of her service and leadership program’s civic project at JFK. She wrote letters to State Sen. Steve Rhoads and Legislator Seth Koslow about the bill and its importance to public health.
Koslow has been a vocal supporter of the law since December, when he and other local lawmakers pushed to enact Gio’s law in Nassau County.
“As a dad, as a coach, as someone who’s out in the public, I want my police officers to have all the tools they need, just like we gave them Narcan,” Koslow said of the weapon to fight a drug overdose. “They should have this to be able to help people in an emergency. It’s very limited training they’ll need, it’s a limited expense and it’s another tool to help our first responders help us.”
Jordana’s efforts have inspired Koslow to continue his advocacy for Gio’s Law, he said.
“As a dad in Merrick, my kids are going to go to Kennedy, so seeing students that are willing to take the initiative to help other students gives me so much pride and hope for the future,” he said.
The law has not yet been voted on by the county legislature.
“My proposed legislation at the county level has just not been brought to a vote,” he explained. “It’s just not being calendared by the legislature. The state has already approved it, so we are eligible to do it in Nassau County, but it’s not being passed in the Nassau County Legislature.”
To sign a petition advocating for Gio’s Law in Nassau County and beyond, visit Change.Org/p/Epi-Help-Save-Lives.
