Last night I had the opportunity to go out and meet these two sweet girls who also have Celiac Disease and their incredible Mothers. Becca reached out to me through social media, asking for help with her daughter Sophie who was recently diagnosed. I asked my Instagram/gym friend, whose daughter also has celiac disease, to meet up with us. We sat and talked for 3 hours, and we could have stayed even longer. Last night was so uplifting and powerful to me. I learned a lot.
The first thing I re-learned is we are all fighting some battle, and we are doing the best we know how. So it is best to ALWAYS be kind.
The second lesson learned is that one of the girls and I were told different diagnoses from different Doctors. Doctors are human and are learning just like the rest of us. Can you imagine one Doctor, saying “If gluten doesn’t affect you, then you can still eat it,” and another saying, “DO NOT TOUCH GLUTEN AGAIN.” Which one do you believe? The tests proved that she has celiac disease, not a gluten allergy. Celiac Disease is real and scary. If you are diagnosed with celiac and continue to consume gluten, you are doing major damage to your body. I am grateful for the time my doctor spent with me teaching me (aka “scaring the crap out of me”) with what would happen if I was to eat gluten again.
The third thing I learned is social media can be an incredible thing. There are many times I want to delete my account because of the politics and time it takes. I do what I do because I love and enjoy helping others, and last night it was confirmed to me that social media can be an incredible tool. I would have never been able to meet these ladies without it. I am 30 and still cry at times. I can’t eat donuts, bread, and other things. I can’t imagine being eight and eleven years old and fighting this fight. I am grateful for these moms and their willingness to help their daughters through such a hard trial. We can all be stronger when we fight/learn together.