Seeing Sabrina C.’s article was very exciting. I too have Celiac disease and was diagnosed when I was three. For over a year before, I was in and out of doctors’ offices as they tested for all sorts of diseases. Everything kept coming back negative while I got sicker and sicker. I was extremely malnourished which is possibly why I am so small today. Finally, the doctors diagnosed me with Celiac disease and I have been on a gluten-free diet ever since. I have lived with this for 14 years now and although it is annoying, it can be dealt with. Like Sabrina, I have to bring food to friends’ houses, pack my lunch every day, and make special requests at restaurants.
This disease has made me very responsible because I am in charge of making sure I eat the right foods. Also, it prevents me from drinking most alcohol because it’s made from barley (a form of gluten), which I cannot have. See how complicated it can get? Some may think this is a bad thing but I know it will prevent me from doing stupid things because I am drunk.
Anyway, it was enlightening to see Sabrina’s article because I never knew anyone my age with this disease and so it is cool to know that I am not alone in this lifelong struggle.
This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.
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