In February 2021 my life changed. I got diagnosed with Celiac disease. Celiac disease is a disease that causes you to have a reaction/sickness to a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, the protein is called gluten. I have had it for a little longer than a year. When my older sister was diagnosed in November 2020 I knew that I would also have to be tested. Celiac can be genetic so that’s why they wanted to test me after they discovered my sister had it. You do not have to be born with Celiac, you can develop it at any time in your life. Some people have celiac and they don’t know they have it. Eating gluten while having celiac can cause many different issues for your body later in life like bone weakening, infertility, cancer, malnutrition, nervous system problems, and many more. Celiac is a really big deal and it has become a big part of my life. 

 Celiac changed a lot of things about me. It changed my diet, my lifestyle, and a lot of things that were a part of my normal routine. Going out to dinner used to be extremely easy; we could go anywhere, but now I have to do research on the place and make sure it is gluten-free or has gluten-free options. Sometimes even if they do have gluten-free options it is not safe because the food could be cross-contaminated. Cross-contamination does not usually affect me but it does affect my sister. Some people have really bad reactions and others do not. Something else is going to events or parties. I have to watch what I eat and usually I have to eat before I go because they do not have gluten-free food options for me. Something that is really tough for me is the temptation to eat gluten anyway. I don't usually have a reaction to it so I think it’s not a big deal to eat it when it really is. Seeing everyone else around me eating all the foods I used to love is very tough for me. When ordering a pizza with friends I always have to get a separate one. If I go to a birthday party I can never have the cake or desserts. Many different foods tempt me and I struggle with this a lot. Sometimes I just want to act like I do not have celiac. There are many other things that are complicated for me like going out with friends, staying over at someone else's house, food shopping, and many more things. All of these things took a while for me and my family to adapt to. We are learning new things about celiac every day. 

After being diagnosed, a lot of things changed and I had to get used to it since this is how it is going to be for the rest of my life. I am still getting used to it but it is not as bad as it first was. I still have issues when going out to dinner, or being with friends, but I have learned how to help myself and work around these issues. My family and I have figured out what places have gluten-free and which do not. Getting celiac helped me understand change and learn how to overcome something as big as this.  Overall, I think I have gained more self-control with foods I can not eat. Also, I believe that I have a greater understanding of allergies and medical issues, this has caused me to be more aware and careful with people who also have allergies.