The morning that my life was changed forever, I woke up to the ringing of my phone. I slowly crawled to the edge of my bed and picked up the phone. Little did I know that my doctor was the one calling me to tell me that I had Celiac Disease. A disease for me meant that I was going to die or that I needed serious help and that I would never again have a normal life. Well…I later found out that all of those ideas were not true. Celiac Disease, as defined by National Anemia Action Council, is a “disorder that causes damage to the intestines when gluten is eaten (protein in grains like wheat, oats, rye, and barley).” For me, this disease means having separate dishes and silverware; my boyfriend having to mouth wash every time he wants to kiss me; constantly worry about contamination; changing the food I eat along with my shampoo, conditioner, and makeup; reading everything before being able to eat; and it also means only being allowed to eat in certain places. When my friends were first told that I had Celiac Disease, most of them started to cry and that broke my heart. I mean, I didn’t want my friends to look at me differently just because I have a disease. I told them I wasn’t going to die as long as I stuck to the gluten free diet. On the other hand, some of my friends totally belittled my disease and told me that it wasn’t a big deal. I can understand that it is sometimes hard for people to imagine their life in the shoes of someone else, but I expected more from my friends to try and see how this was going to affect me. Celiac disease is a big deal. Once I finally got the point across to my friends, we decided to try and raise money for the Celiac Disease foundation to help find a cure for this disease. By my friends and family becoming involved in my life and learning and accepting my disease, together we have worked to do a lot of good and I have become more confident in myself along with becoming a more positive person.
