“I had migraines, seizures, anemia, stomach pain, anxiety and brain fog.”

“That’s the crazy part, I never had symptoms. At least not any of the ones everyone talks about.”

“I thought my son was dying. He was so weak he couldn’t climb the stairs. His joints were so swollen and he hurt. He slept all the time.”

“My celiac disease was triggered when I was pregnant. My iron levels got so low I had to go to the hospital for several hours at a time for IV iron infusions.”

“When the number came out, he was sure I had celiac disease and that was the answer to all my life’s questions.”

“I had pimples, brittle nails, enamel bleeding, loss of hair, experienced brain fog and fatigue, had difficulty in controlling my emotions.”

“I always left [the hospital and doctors’ offices] with no answers and was told by many doctors that my symptoms were all in my head and that it was just anxiety. In fact, I was actually put on anxiety medication for it.”

“I had asked about doing a test for celiac disease however was told, ‘It isn’t prevalent in people of color.’ I decided to find a doctor with the cultural competency to understand that race does not define your health.”

“Eli felt left out and struggled with not being able to eat the same things as his friends. This was very heartbreaking for a 6-year-old.”

“I wish I could remember how long I had experienced fatigue, but I think I just lived as though it was normal to feel like that.”