Gluten free guide map!
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Roommates by fate. Friends by choice. Gluten free by bad luck.
We met after being placed with the same host mom in Valencia, Spain when the placement director decided it would be better to have an "allergy house" instead of spread out our afflictions--this is how we met. We quickly became friends and found ourselves exploring Spain in a different way than the rest of our class. For us, it was important for us to find restaurants we could both enjoy and feel safe eating in--options we knew for a fact were gluten free. This is where we need help. We want to design a user-friendly website that helps explorers find safe and delicious gluten free meals throughout europe.
Alexa's Story: I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 15, during my sophomore year of high school. My whole life I had experienced chronic migraine headaches, bloating, and a various number of other gastrointestinal issues. When I was in elementary school, they told me I was lactose intolerant, so I switched to a completely lactose free diet, and took medication whenever I wanted to treat myself to pizza or some ice cream. However, because lactose wasn’t my problem, I was still getting sick whenever I ate and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. My mom discovered she had Celiac Disease in 2006 and, because it’s hereditary, my brother and I were both tested shortly after her diagnosis. I had it, he didn’t. Now that people know what gluten is, or at the very least, have heard of it, it’s much easier to get out in restaurants. Ten years ago, it was unheard of, and I was the kid with the weird looking lunches. I recently started seeing a kinesiologist and discovered that I’m also sensitive to corn, fructose, cane sugar, caffeine, and nightshade vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tobacco, and eggplant. Having a significant diet change can be daunting, but ultimately so helpful.
Claire's Story: I was first diagnosed at the age of 20 during my sophomore year of college. Since I can remember, I have always felt some pain after eating, but over time I got used to it--I thought it was normal to feel your body digesting food. Then, one day I was in so much pain I couldn’t move, and my friends convinced me to go to the health and wellness center at the university (which was a huge feat, as I was the type of person who hated going to the doctor). It was around 4:30pm and as I was seeing the nurse she rushed me and when the clock struck 5pm she told us they were closed and we had to leave and that I probably just had menstrual cramps--I was still in pain. I then decided I needed to go to the Emergency Room because I did not feel comfortable going back home and possibly being alone and waking up in pain, not knowing what to do. The doctors at the emergency room took my concerns seriously and did multiple tests on me, not finding anything to explain the pain. However, the doctor had one last idea and sent me to a Gastrointestinologist (GI) to see if his inkling was correct. Once there, the GI told me the pain in my lower right abdomen could possibly be Crohn’s disease and I needed to do a colonoscopy to find out, this was the only way, so of course I said yes--and this was where they found out I do have crohn’s disease in my lower small intestine. With the diagnosis came the diet regimen-- No gluten, no dairy, no red meat.
We met after being placed with the same host mom in Valencia, Spain when the placement director decided it would be better to have an "allergy house" instead of spread out our afflictions--this is how we met. We quickly became friends and found ourselves exploring Spain in a different way than the rest of our class. For us, it was important for us to find restaurants we could both enjoy and feel safe eating in--options we knew for a fact were gluten free. This is where we need help. We want to design a user-friendly website that helps explorers find safe and delicious gluten free meals throughout europe.
Alexa's Story: I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease at the age of 15, during my sophomore year of high school. My whole life I had experienced chronic migraine headaches, bloating, and a various number of other gastrointestinal issues. When I was in elementary school, they told me I was lactose intolerant, so I switched to a completely lactose free diet, and took medication whenever I wanted to treat myself to pizza or some ice cream. However, because lactose wasn’t my problem, I was still getting sick whenever I ate and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. My mom discovered she had Celiac Disease in 2006 and, because it’s hereditary, my brother and I were both tested shortly after her diagnosis. I had it, he didn’t. Now that people know what gluten is, or at the very least, have heard of it, it’s much easier to get out in restaurants. Ten years ago, it was unheard of, and I was the kid with the weird looking lunches. I recently started seeing a kinesiologist and discovered that I’m also sensitive to corn, fructose, cane sugar, caffeine, and nightshade vegetables: tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, tobacco, and eggplant. Having a significant diet change can be daunting, but ultimately so helpful.
Claire's Story: I was first diagnosed at the age of 20 during my sophomore year of college. Since I can remember, I have always felt some pain after eating, but over time I got used to it--I thought it was normal to feel your body digesting food. Then, one day I was in so much pain I couldn’t move, and my friends convinced me to go to the health and wellness center at the university (which was a huge feat, as I was the type of person who hated going to the doctor). It was around 4:30pm and as I was seeing the nurse she rushed me and when the clock struck 5pm she told us they were closed and we had to leave and that I probably just had menstrual cramps--I was still in pain. I then decided I needed to go to the Emergency Room because I did not feel comfortable going back home and possibly being alone and waking up in pain, not knowing what to do. The doctors at the emergency room took my concerns seriously and did multiple tests on me, not finding anything to explain the pain. However, the doctor had one last idea and sent me to a Gastrointestinologist (GI) to see if his inkling was correct. Once there, the GI told me the pain in my lower right abdomen could possibly be Crohn’s disease and I needed to do a colonoscopy to find out, this was the only way, so of course I said yes--and this was where they found out I do have crohn’s disease in my lower small intestine. With the diagnosis came the diet regimen-- No gluten, no dairy, no red meat.
Organizer
Claire Nicole
Organizer
Wenatchee, WA
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