“Prior to my diagnosis and the onset of my symptoms, I lived through food. In middle school, I could eat as much as a teenage boy.”

“[My daughter] was not growing properly and looked extremely malnourished. You could see her ribs, and her arms and legs were so tiny.”

“I have lost a lot of weight because most things don’t come gluten-free, at least around me.”

“My quality of life as a middle-schooler wasn’t so great and I remember sleeping half of my childhood away.”

“I was in denial. ‘What can gluten do to me?’ I was saying to myself.”

“Because I was diagnosed at such a young age, it wasn’t too difficult to stick to the gluten-free diet […] Having celiac disease is a part of who I am!”

“It has been heartbreaking to watch someone I love dearly struggle with celiac disease. It hurts that when he’s in pain, mom and dad can’t take it away!”

“It is important to not let society make you feel bad for a situation that you can’t help. Your health is the utmost priority.”

“I think that being a teenager was to my disadvantage, as it was easy for people to blame my symptoms on puberty and stress.”

“I was certain there was something more to my symptoms, but unfortunately everyone just questioned my habits and my lifestyle.”

“I was exhausted and had to be rushed to the ER due to dehydration and an inability to eat or drink anything.”

“I ended up in the hospital, where the emergency doctor did not take any of my symptoms seriously and I was again sent home with no answers.”