Have you seen this study about the Social Consequences of Food Allergy ?

It makes me sad when kids are bullied for any reason.
Education, awareness and understanding of differences is so very important.

I originally wrote
Adam's Gluten Free Surprise,
Helping Others Understand Gluten Free
to help teachers and family understand gluten free and to help them develop empathy for a child (or adult) who requires a strict diet.  

This is a book for teachers to also share with their class and to include in discussions about food allergies and special diets and the importance of including all our friends.

Below are some highlights from Adam's Gluten Free Surprise, Helping Others Understand Gluten Free.  Paperback and Kindle versions are available (through website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble ...)

Click on pictures for a larger view:

So – after a lifetime of (most unnecessary) health issues, I was truly excited to finally be diagnosed with celiac in September of 2000.  Although there were several ‘down times’ that were centered on social challenges and self pity, the overall  improvements were positively life altering. I almost immediately sought and discovered online support – and through this process
discovered how hugely unrecognized celiac was.  I was appalled and amazed and very quickly passionate about spreading awareness. 

Next – I contacted the local newspaper.  The reporter wrote an amazing full page article that resulted in me receiving a handful of letters (sent to the school I worked at and forwarded to  me from the newspaper). From this initial group of  people  who were reaching out, I coordinated a meeting at a  local restaurant  for our first informal celiac support group meeting.  OH WHAT A  RUSH!

I wanted to start a ‘real’ support group – but at first I found this to be  a daunting task.  Within the year, however, I did it - the Belleville (Illinois) Area Celiac Support Group was formed.  We had  montly meetings with food, with speakers – (including Dr. Kenneth Fine, a  representative from the University of Chicago – and Shelley Case! Yes – Shelley Case spoke for one of our meetings!)  I drove home from each gathering on such a ‘high’!.   I sure wish I had pictures - but that was before I had a digital camera - and back when I was much more technology challenged,  lol

Another meeting included local dietitians.  I made a call to one from the yellow pages and inquired about including dietitians at a meeting. Apparently I called the right one because she
needed to form a meeting for a group of  dietitians for professional development. We collaborated for a memorable meeting.  It resulted in their desire to work with us to create a menu guide for those newly diagnosed; our “Two Week Survival Menu Guide.”  LOVED IT!  It
has transformed since its original development as a dietitian maintains it and  keeps it current.  Here is what it looks like today: Gluten Free Survival Guide

A couple years after I was diagnosed, my declining marriage (which I had hoped would be revived along with my health) took another step downward when my then husband moved out. He found it easier to do this now that I was stronger and healthier. So – I had one giant step forward and one giant step back. This very difficult time coincided with a new very exciting
time.  I had a growing desire for our group to expand and join in the annual Celiac Walk in May, joining forces with the University of Maryland’s Celiac Disease Center. I did not have that
energy to coordinate such an event however – until – that one WONDERFUL meeting when someone new joined us (Kate) - with all her new, fresh energy and paper in hand that gave information about the Celiac Walk. We quickly became friends.

I contacted someone I knew in St. Louis who had started a yahoo support group for the St. Louis area (St. Louis Alerts).  She then made more contacts – and then a handful of us got together (from Illinois metro east and St. Louis area) to discuss plans and ultimately create the BiState Celiac Support Group.   Again – WHAT A RUSH! What a FABULOUS first picnic – 2003 - Our first of many – which only grew (for several  years, anyway).

But –the summer of that picnic was also the summer when I had to face the fact that my marriage was over. And I panicked. What would I do? I had been a stay-at-home mom for fifteen years – and then a teacher’s aide for five (at that time).  I needed a means in which to support myself once child support ended. I needed a retirement plan. I needed a new direction in life. I needed to show my kids that life challenges can be altered into new life beginnings.

So I immediately enrolled back in school where I worked on  and completed my general education classes, while still working as a teacher’s aide,  for the next two years. (with the help of anti-depressants that first  year – for the first and hopefully last time in my life).  I was able to  contribute less and less to the support group. But what the group gave me in  return was just too much for me to leave it all together. So I pushed through,  continuing my involvement in  the support group while going to school and  trying to keep some  normalcy in my family.

And then – in 2005 I had to quit my  job in order to enroll in the 2 year education program (which was only offered  during the day, of course).


And – that summer before this all started –I met  Steve.

Whew! Life became crazy busy.  And along the way I had to loosen my ties with  the support group – physically, anyway. It was during one of my drives back and forth to school that the inspiration for ‘Adam’ came to me.  It was while driving that I had time to think freely. It was just frustrating not to have the time to see all my ideas through.  During my involvement with the support group, I had heard time and time again the frustration over the lack of support and
understanding from family, day care providers, teachers, etc.  And this idea for this children’s book had me leaping for joy!  I couldn’t wait to get home to  write the idea down. Which I did – and where it stayed, tucked away.

A new school year started and I wished that that idea had been created into a  book to offer parents. And then another school year and another. And along the  way, I finished my own education, continued to watch my own children grow, watch  my oldest get married and then got remarried myself  (and moved about 4 times in the process – another story of its own, haha).

      So – life was too busy to put into this little book that I envisioned could make a BIG impact. 

So there it was: in 2007 I graduated from school and got a teaching job right away. LOVED IT! 
In  2008, Steve and I got married.  In 2009 we built our home together. And in 2010, after teaching for three years, I lost  the job I loved so much when Illinois state budget cuts caused my school to close my classroom.  A roller coaster. I HATE roller coaster, yet …. I can’t seem to get off the one I’m on.  Guess I don’t really want it to stop – cause then I’d be dead,  lol.

So that summer was spent job hunting – and hunting – and hunting. But I was competing with a million other teachers who also lost their jobs. I kept a fraction of optimism until school started and I realized – ‘It’s not going to happen.’  During that previous spring and through the summer – when it looked like employment might be ending –I knew I needed to make something else happen.  So I started to push the idea of getting the book going a bit more. After failed attempts with bigger publishers, I decided to go the self-publishing route. But which one to choose from?  This process was difficult for me because I never knew if I was doing things the right way. And who do I have illustrate it? After talking with a few people, and nothing seeming to work out, my daughter said to me “You can do it mom.” This thought had never crossed my mind. But – it was the end of August – I was without a job – So, I did it. And when it was finished in October, I found a job as a teacher’s aide – which I found to be very rewarding! -although I still wanted my own classroom again.

I put the book all together the way I wanted it presented and started working with AuthorHouse. But – I had way too many pages. I wanted one illustration per page, which would have looked much better – but the price would have then been WAY TOO HIGH!  So I worked again on reassembling it to half the number of pages to bring the price down. I didn’t delete any content – just reduced it to two illustrations per page. Sigh.

 I was SO EXCITED to finally get my first copy in the mail. It was February 2011 – and  it was finally published - about five years after the idea first came to me.  WAY COOL! My book – and the resource I wanted to  supply to parents would finally be available for the following school year! YAY!
  Of course – letting others know it was available was (and continues to be)  another thing. Lol

I then found another teaching job for this past school year, teaching Early Childhood half day and working as a home visiting parent educator the other half of day. Loved my job – but this was priority now and my book marketing was secondary – again.

And now – with summer here – one of my goals is to find a way to design a new cover for ‘Adam’.  I’ve never been happy with this current cover. It needs something more professional!   Ideas of where to go to make this happen? –please share.    From my brief searches, I have found that with the right software, I can do this on my own as well – but…. I just need to figure this out, I guess. And eventually – maybe – maybe I’ll find a publisher to take it on and assemble it into the 32 page book I originally wanted it to be – with ‘professional’ illustrations! lol
I hope you check it out. You can read almost half of it on Amazon. And please stop by and Like us on Facebook. :)