2.5 million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for major health complications from celiac disease. Help us lead the fight to increase diagnosis, to improve medical treatments, and to find a cure for celiac disease.
My name is Caryn. I am a 56 year-old woman. About 20 years ago, I started to struggle with chronic and severe stomach pain. It persisted and I told my doctors. Every doctor I saw dismissed my complaints. They told me that there was nothing wrong with me. None…I repeat…NONE of my doctors tested me for celiac disease. Four years ago, I returned to the doctor with a severe pain on my right side. It turned out that a malignant tumor in my colon had led to a ruptured appendix. It was only with my cancer diagnosis that the doctors tested me for celiac disease. My blood test results were off the charts. Here is the real horror: My doctors told me that if I had been diagnosed with celiac disease and treated years ago, I may never have gotten cancer. I recently had my second surgery, chemotherapy and am now starting radiation - and it is possible that this could have all been prevented. So to me this fight to increase the rate of diagnosis of celiac disease is deeply personal. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this battle, only to end up with cancer like I did. Celiac Disease Foundation was my only source of information when I received my diagnosis. I can assure you, they work tirelessly to stop the needless suffering that results because only 17% of individuals with celiac disease have been properly diagnosed. CDF has an ambitious but attainable goal to raise that nnumber to 50% within five years. I know that your contribution to CDF will change a life. It will help stop the needless and potentially deadly suffering caused by undiagnosed celiac disease in millions upon millions of people.
