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Note from Alice: Much to Be Thankful For
November is a great month for reflection. The end of the year is in sight and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. This year, the entire Beyond Celiac team, Board and I have so much to be thankful for, and my November column is the perfect place to share from our long list of gratitude.
First, we are so thankful for all the volunteers, runners, vendors and sponsors that made our Step Beyond Celiac 5Ks a wonderful success this year. This was our third year in Kansas City, an amazing race that was created from nothing by then-volunteer Jilian Hunt and our board member, Chad Shaffer, MD, and built into an annual not-to-miss event. It was also our second Virtual 5K, and our first year in Philadelphia and Dallas. All our races went off without a hitch and raised thousands of dollars for celiac disease research. We are extremely grateful for all the hard work everyone put in and can’t wait to see how these events continue to grow, expand and flourish in 2020! If you would like to volunteer, we’d love to have your participation.
We are also thankful for our ambassador, Arturo Chacon-Cruz. Despite being an incredibly busy global opera star, Arturo has dedicated a great deal of time to championing Beyond Celiac and our mission throughout this past year. He has been a wonderful partner in raising celiac disease awareness and helping to raise funds for our research grants program. Most notably, he recently performed beautifully at our Go Beyond Celiac Gala & Concert. The benefit was an amazing night, one that we will never forget! The day following the concert, calls and emails came pouring in praising us for such a special evening.
Additionally, we are grateful to all the researchers working in their labs tirelessly to try to unlock the mysteries of this serious autoimmune disease. We very much appreciate the work of the scientists striving for treatments and a cure beyond the gluten-free diet. The field of celiac disease research is woefully underfunded (one more reason we started our Research Grants program) and we want to recognize the efforts of those who continue on despite the many challenges and obstacles in their paths. We are thankful and hoping for a brighter future where we can live our lives to the fullest and eat without fear.
Lastly, we are so thankful for YOU. Our community is what keeps us going. We are so grateful for all of our donors, our grassroots fundraisers, our monthly contributors, our social champions, our email readers, our event participants, our advisory boards and our many volunteers. You make it possible for us to keep going. As a nonprofit, Beyond Celiac and our programs and research grants are supported by people like you. We recognize how much our community has done for us this year, making it possible for us to fund research, hold the 2019 Symposium and Summit, create and launch the Go Beyond Celiac app, expand our 5Ks, and offer free and up-to-date materials and web content with the latest info and power our programs. We are so thankful that we are in this together for a cure.
Thank you all!
To gratitude and living life Beyond Celiac,
Alice Bast
A tasty fall treat that makes a fun addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table!
A warm, autumn-themed dessert to keep you feeling cozy as the nights start to turn cold!
Chef Oonagh Williams holds a culinary arts degree and spends her time cooking and educating the public on gluten- and allergy-free diets. She herself has celiac disease and food allergies. She often teaches cooking classes, hosts dinner parties, and offers one-on-one help. Buy her
A potential treatment for celiac disease in which nanoparticles act like a Trojan horse and carry a hidden component of gluten to reprogram the immune system not to react has shown positive early results in a new clinical trial.
Three flavors of Simply Asia Street Noodles that have the Beyond Celiac gluten-free trademark are being voluntarily withdrawn from the market by the manufacturer because they contain an ingredient not allowed under the trademark rules.
On Wednesday, November 13th, 2019 the Digestive Disease National Coalition (DDNC) will coordinate a National Day of Advocacy to encourage federal legislators to address step therapy reform by supporting the Safe Step Act.
Happy birth-month to all our November-born community members! 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. And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has created Facebook fundraisers for us this year!
Actress Casey Wilson shares her son’s harrowing celiac disease diagnosis journey with New York Times Parenting.
