Allison Fogarty on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Allison Fogarty and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A new book was published (June 2025) and guess who was on the cover – ME! The book is called Down Syndrome Out Loud by Melissa Hart, illustrated by Maria Perera. It is 20+ true stories of disability and determination, and is written for middle school students. I am very proud to be included in this book!

To celebrate, we traveled to Portland, Oregon where I attended a well-attended book launch event at Powell Books. I was interviewed on TV along with Melissa Hart, too.

The huge disability conference in Orlando, The Family Cafe, was held June 13 -15, 2025. Melissa Hart and several of the people featured in Down Syndrome Out Loud, including me, discussed the book and our lives during two panel discussions. We spoke to large audiences and then signed the book for audience members. It was so exciting! You can check out the videos on the website for The Family Cafe.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi I am Allison, your favorite dog treat chef. I make dog treats in my home kitchen and sell them on my website. My treats are made with my own recipes and include only nutritious and delicious ingredients. I freeze dry my treats to make them shelf stable and keep their nutritional value. People love to buy dog treats from me because they know my treats are high quality and good for their dogs. They like to support a me – a woman with Down syndrome with a small business. Dogs love when their owners buy my treats because they are so tasty!

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Since I was born with Down syndrome and other medical problems, my childhood was full of pain, medical tests, illness, and surgeries. My parents were busy trying to keep me healthy enough to go to school. I needed a trach to breathe for 23 years. When I was 11 years old, I had to have a g-tube placed in my stomach and suddenly I was not allowed to eat or drink by mouth. This was because doctors could not figure out why food kept getting into my airway, and I was so sick. During this time, I became obsessed with food, cooking, and watching cooking shows, especially Rachael Ray. It didn’t make sense to my family. They always tried to hide food from me, but I told them they didn’t have to do that. After 2 years and several surgeries, I could eat again. I was still not healthy, but I was sure that I wanted to be a chef when I grew up. Even after I graduated from high school I was told I was unemployable by several agencies due to my health problems.

So, how did I become a successful entrepreneur? My parents believed in me. They taught me cooking skills when I felt well enough. I kept watching cooking shows and looking up recipes online. I kept practicing my skills. My advice is never give up! You can do it! Think BIG but start small.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
When I was 18 years old my ENT doctor talked to me and my parents about trying to help me so that I didn’t need a trach tube in my neck to breathe. It was scary, because I would have to have some surgeries and tests, and the answer could be that I would have to keep the trach. My parents did not want to decide that for me. After we talked about it, I decided I wanted to try. One surgery I needed was to remove my lingual tonsils. It was very painful. After we thought I was healed, I had a regular dentist appointment. All of a sudden when they were cleaning my teeth, I started vomiting blood and blood was coming out of my nose and my trach. The dentist did not have any oxygen. The ambulance came and they rushed me to the hospital. I almost needed a transfusion. They were able to stop the bleeding. I got pneumonia from breathing in so much blood. After that, told my parents that I was DONE trying to get my trach out. Forget it! But do you know what? After about a year I decided to keep trying. I was scared, but I know that I am strong. I am a fighter! When I was 23 years old, I finally got my trach out!

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My family and friends, my boyfriend, and my work are what really matters to me. My family and friends have helped me through a lot. They have taught me so many things and have taken care of me when I needed their help. My boyfriend is very supportive and we love to spend time together. He is my biggest fan! Having my own business and being responsible for making my products and filling my orders for my customers is very important to me. I have been in business since the fall of 2017. During that time I have learned so much! We have made many decisions for the business and along the way I have had to adapt and do things differently to make things better. We have learned a lot about running a business as a family.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
Some people will see how healthy and happy I am today and not understand what I had to go through to get to this point. My parents and siblings went through a lot too. Also, running a business is a lot of work. My parents joke and say they are working harder now than when they had their regular jobs before they retired. It might seem like this came easy to me, but that is not how it happened.

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