I was a typical kid born in New York City. For the first five years of my life, I enjoyed Gluten everything—a donut every morning from Hot & Crusty Cafe, a famous NYC pretzel on my way to play in the park, and last but not least, a double-swirl Mister Softee Ice cream cone on the corner next to my building. I was just a little girl, where I of course knew what a food allergy was, but the word “Gluten” was nowhere near my vocabulary. The process of my diagnosis was the most challenging time in my life, and it is safe to say it was one of the hardest times in my parents’ life as well. Celiac disease was very uncommon, where it wasn’t thought of as an immediate diagnosis when the doctors saw my obvious symptoms. After endless nights of not keeping any food down, many days where I had to skip kindergarten, and an uncountable amount of doctors’ appointments—my diagnosis was very shocking and scary, but today I can say it was one of the biggest blessings in my life. 

 

Having Celiac disease is a part of my identity and who I am as a person. Celiac has impacted my friendships, family bonds, and travel experiences. My best friend today was the only other Gluten-Free girl that attended my sleepaway camp, and we shared the comfort of having Celiac and formed an unbreakable bond. My mother and grandmother went Gluten-Free with me the day I was first diagnosed, and my entire house and pantry is absolutely Gluten-Free. We have traveled to Paris and visited the best Gluten-Free bakery there, and continue visit our most favorite Gluten-Free Crepery every time we visit St. Barths—blog posts to follow! I love my identity as Gluten-Free Iz—and I wouldn’t change a thing!  

 

The interactive video below is my Celiac journey lead by Gluten-Free Iz. There are a million ways I can share my story with you all—but I felt sharing this online interactive video book that I created a few years ago is the perfect way to capture my Gluten-Free community. Click the button below! 

 

 

Enjoy!