National Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Scribbled down on May 1st, 2013 by she
Posted in Art, Vittles & Beer

It’s national Celiac disease awareness month (in the US, not sure about Canada) so I thought I’d reflect on one of those “small world” things. Like many new Celiac’s, when I was diagnosed a few years ago the first thing I did was search for resource websites like the Canadian Celiac Association, etc. I found a few awesome Celiac mailing lists and discovered a site that would become my go-to for information: Not Even a Crumb.

I signed up for the newsletter, followed on twitter and became a friend to Ms. Wheaton on FB. ‘Cause I was bound and determined to learn as much about the disease as I could so I could FEEL GOOD again. I’d been sick so long I’d forgotten what “normal” felt like (or perhaps never knew).

But going GF was more difficult than expected. I missed bread. And oats. Having a nut allergy meant that a lot of standard GF flours or mixes couldn’t be used in our house. We can’t purchase GF foodstuffs from bulk bins (where they appear to be most readily available) due to cross contamination concerns. Then Deb told me all about Gluten Free Prairie and my world became bright and sunny again. We can make meatloaf, hamburgers, and I can have porridge. Oh, and we can bake again.

So of course, many moons later (a year or so I think), when I learned who her son was, I was a bit star struck. In reverse you could say. When I next met up with him in a convention line, we didn’t talk about his career but rather the impact his mom’s websites and the family GF Oat business made on my life. Best.Conversation.Ever.

Today I’d like to thank Deb Wheaton for being an excellent resource for a newly diagnosed Celiac and in the few years post diagnosis. I still read every word and check out all the products and books you recommend!

*psst* He’s really proud of your new cookie line 😉


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