Our story…
For many years Maddy was sick. Some weeks she missed 3 days of school, or had to come home early due to illness. She wasn't gaining weight, had excruciating leg and foot pain, gastro issues, rashes, brain fog and anxiety (to name a few!). After going through a variety of tests, she tested positive for Celiac Disease. However, a Biopsy is required to verify, and you have to continue eating gluten until the biopsy. Those months feeding her food we knew made her sick were awful.
The biopsy confirmed the blood tests, and February 14th, 2021 we knew Maddy had Celiac Disease. The Gastroenterologist said the whole family needs to get tested, since it can be genetic. Surprisingly we discovered Mom has it too! All of a sudden everything in Shawna's life made sense. She had so many random health issues that she never connected together (brain fog, leg pain, depression/anxiety, weight gain, skin flare-ups, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux...).
The first 3 months were the hardest. The whole family cut out gluten. Ryan and Charlotte were champions and tested all the gluten-free food with Maddy and Shawna. Realizing all of the foods they could no longer have was emotional. No more McNuggets, Donuts, fresh bread... It was easy to focus on what we had to cut out. Over time it got easier. Family and friends did their research and helped. We also discovered Mom could bake homemade timbits!
Now the household is Gluten and Non-Gluten. Separate toasters, condiments and being careful of cross-contamination. It's a constant awareness we all have to have.
Description
Over 100,000 people with celiac disease or gluten-related disorders rely on Celiac Canada every year, looking for support, education, advocacy help, and the latest information. We help people get access to safe, gluten-free food and a timely diagnosis. We're backed by a medical advisory council and we provide free education so our community can live longer, healthier lives. We're Canada's largest national charitable funder of celiac disease and gluten-disorder research. From the moment someone gets diagnosed, we support them every step of the way. We're all working towards a common goal: to help everyone with celiac disease or a gluten-related disorder get diagnosed and empowered to live their best life.
This year is our 50th birthday and our goal is to have 50 people participate in this event with us. You can help by joining us today.
Please contact gloria.baldwin@celiac.ca if you need more information or support with your fundraiser. I'm happy to help.
Team members
Click on one of our team members below to make a donation.
Recent donors
| Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 15 | Donna Lerch | $108.31 |
| Oct 15 | Boots family | $50.00 |
| Oct 15 | Georgia luckock | $27.80 |
| Oct 12 | The Mascella Family | Undisclosed amount |
| Oct 11 | Mya Johnstone | $161.98 |
| Sep 26 | Lynnette Lanning | $27.80 |
| Sep 25 | Samantha King | Undisclosed amount |
| Sep 23 | Donna Lerch | $54.63 |
| Sep 23 | Donna Lerch | $54.63 |
| Aug 26 | Laura Schaffer | $54.63 |
