May 2019
Note from Alice:
Dear Beyond Celiac Community,
Happy Celiac Awareness Month!
If you’re like us, you’ve been waiting all year for the calendar to turn to May. Because May, as you know, is Celiac Awareness Month – an entire month dedicated to raising awareness for a disease that is often invisible, frequently undiagnosed, and sometimes (and incorrectly) not even considered “serious.” In fact, I have been told key opinion leaders in the field that the top problem is misdiagnosis and proper follow-up. We need to raise awareness of celiac disease as a serious condition that needs treatments and a cure.
So, for Beyond Celiac, the 2019 Celiac Awareness Month marks the start of our No Cure Without U campaign to support research. During the entire month of May, we have an incredible 2-1 donor match of up to $15,000! But we can’t reach our match or raise awareness for celiac disease on our own.
Below, I’ve listed some of the simple ways you can help us as we run our No Cure Without U campaign through May. But don’t forget that Celiac Awareness Month belongs to you, and that one of the best ways you can raise awareness for celiac disease is to share your story.
- Share
To raise awareness, we need to reach the people who don’t know about celiac disease, and the best way to do that is often through social media. Beyond Celiac frequently posts content on our website and social channels such as new research, upcoming events, gluten-free recipes, and more. During the month of May, we ask you to share as much of that content as you can.
If you share an infographic, you may help someone who has symptoms of celiac disease but hasn’t yet gone to the doctor. If you share a research article, you will help educate someone who thinks that gluten-free is nothing more than the latest fad diet. If you share our “Find a Doctor” webpage, you may help someone with celiac disease get the ongoing care they need. If you share one of our There’s No Cure Without U videos, you will put a face on an invisible disease.
Visit /celiac-awareness-month for awesome content that’s easy to share.
As always we’ll continue to post news, research, and other relevant information on our social media pages.
- Donate/Raise
Thanks to an incredibly generous match, all donations made to Beyond Celiac during Celiac Awareness Month will be matched 2-1 up to $15,000! This is a match that we need to meet to continue accelerating research for a cure, and you can help make it happen. There are many ways to donate to Beyond Celiac or to even start a fundraiser of your own. Start a Facebook fundraiser, direct your birthday gifts to Beyond Celiac, walk a Step Beyond Celiac 5K, throw an awareness party, host a delicious gluten-free dinner, or start an individual giving page in honor of a friend or family member who has celiac disease or who supports you! We can certainly reach our $15,000 match, but we can’t do it without you.
- Join
One of the easiest ways to help advance research is to join our online patient database, Go Beyond Celiac. In Go Beyond Celiac, you can share your celiac disease story by answering survey questions. This information can be used by celiac disease researchers to better understand celiac disease. This will help accelerate celiac disease research and is critical to our goal of finding new treatments and a cure. Tell your story. Join Go Beyond Celiac today.
- Step Beyond Celiac
A fun way to raise awareness and funds for celiac disease is by joining us at our Step Beyond Celiac 5K events. The three events taking place this year – June 9th in Philadelphia, September 29th in Kansas City, and October 29th in Dallas, all aim to raise money for research while bringing together the celiac disease communities in those cities. The courses are amazing – The Philadelphia Zoo, The Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, and The Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve outside Dallas, and there will be plenty of entertainment for kids. If you can’t make it to one of the walks, consider joining the Virtual Walk from anywhere in the country. Join us as we run, walk, and Step Beyond Celiac!
That’s it for now! Happy Celiac Awareness Month! And remember, there’s No Cure Without U!
To Living Life Beyond Celiac,
Alice
Celiac Awareness Month 2019: There’s No Cure without U
May is Celiac Awareness Month and we’re celebrating by raising much-needed funds to accelerate celiac disease research! Celiac disease is serious and affects an estimated 3 million Americans, but many people still don’t know about it. Now is a chance to educate and enlist the support of our family and friends to help find a cure for this serious autoimmune disease!
Visit our Official Celiac Awareness Month page for ways you can get involved and for materials to make it fun and easy to spread the word about celiac disease!
Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh
English Scones
A gluten-free version of a classic recipe that makes a delicious Mother’s Day treat!
Honey Cinnamon Graham Crackers
A gluten-free version of a favorite sweet cracker.
About Chef Oonagh Williams
Chef Oonagh Williams holds a culinary arts degree and spends her time cooking, writing, speaking, and educating the public on gluten-free and allergy-free diets. She herself has celiac disease along with other food allergies. When not writing or speaking nationally, she teaches cooking classes, hosts dinner parties, and offers one-on-one help. Buy her Delicious Gluten-Free Cooking e-book; like her Facebook page, Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh, where she posts recipes, links to her appearances, and gluten-free products she’s discovered; and connect with her for help in following a food allergy diet.
New Guidelines for Feeding Infants at Risk for Celiac Disease
The amount of gluten fed to infants at risk for celiac disease may influence whether they actually get the disease, leading the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center to recommend new guidelines for feeding these babies. READ MORE
At-Home Test for Celiac Disease Gets Scientific Review
When a blood test measures several antibodies, the likelihood it will be accurate in confirming celiac disease increases, according to a new study done using the imaware™ test. The study also showed that imaware™ at-home testing can be used to monitor how well the gluten-free diet is working for those who have celiac disease by tracking these same four antibodies, researchers concluded. READ MORE
Allergic Living: Taking Celiac Disease Seriously
By Alice Bast
The term “gluten-free” has lost sincerity. With online parodies poking fun at the diet, and celebrities touting its perceived health benefits, it’s easy to see that “gluten-free” has attained fad status.
Photo credit: Allergic Living/Thinkstock
Step Beyond Celiac Philly 5K Registration Now Open!
Join us for our inaugural Step Beyond Celiac Philly 5K at the Philadelphia Zoo on June 9! The course will take participants throughout the zoo, a truly unique experience. Step Beyond Celiac 5Ks raise funds to support Beyond Celiac research efforts and are a fun time for the entire family. REGISTER NOW
Register Now for the 3rd Annual Celiac Disease Research Symposium
Beyond Celiac is hosting its 3rd Annual Celiac Disease Research Symposium on May 30, 2019 at the University of Pennsylvania. The event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a complimentary gluten-free reception. It will also be live-streamed around the world for those that can’t make it in person. Register now for a link to the webcast or a free in-person ticket. In-person space is limited and registration is required. REGISTER NOW
Our Latest Facebook Live Video
Claire and Jackson discussed upcoming celiac disease-related events and how you can get involved and have fun! WATCH THE RECORDING
Start a Facebook Fundraiser for Beyond Celiac
Happy birthmonth to all our March-born followers! When your big day rolls around, consider “donating” it to Beyond Celiac so that we can help fund new research scientists in the celiac disease field! START YOUR FACEBOOK FUNDRAISER
What’s Hot
- Go Beyond Celiac: join today to help advance celiac disease research.
- Celiac Disease is a Monster: The creators of our “Celiac Disease is a Monster” video received a prestigious Silver Aster Award in a national competition recognizing healthcare campaigns.
- The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019: On April 3, Representative Tim Ryan [D-OH] introduced H.R. 2074, the Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 to the congressional floor. So far, the bill has 24 co-sponsors! Contact your representative today!