The Diagnosis

That doctor’s office felt a little bit like a superhero’s hideout. Not because it was secret or had cool gadgets, but because something big and life-changing was about to happen. My mom is a doctor who helps people with something called diabetes, so she knows all about how our bodies work.

One day, she had a super-duper special new test for both diabetes and something else called celiac disease. She asked if I could be her helper, her sidekick, for the test. I was so excited! I mean, how many kids get to help their doctor mom with a science project? So, I bravely let her poke my finger with a tiny little needle—just a quick pinch!

Then, we waited. It felt like forever, but my mom’s face told me the story before she even said the words. The good news came first: “You probably won’t get diabetes,” she said with a big smile. Phew! That was a relief. But then her face got a little bit serious, and she told me the other part.

The test said that I would probably get celiac disease. I had no idea what that was! My mom explained it to me like this: my tummy has little protectors inside that are supposed to fight off bad stuff. But with celiac, they get mixed up and start fighting a kind of food called gluten, which is in things like bread and pasta. She said this is why my tummy has been hurting sometimes and why I might have broken my arm a while ago. It was a big surprise!

So, for the next six weeks, I have a new mission: to become a gluten-free kid! I’ll have to say goodbye to some of my favorite foods, but I’m also going to try a bunch of new, yummy ones. I’m going to keep a special journal about all the new foods I eat and tell you all about how they taste. I’ll share all the fun and maybe even some of the tricky parts of my new adventure.

Wish me luck on my gluten-free journey!

To learn how to diagnose celiac for free, and to hear my mom’s perspective, go to her blog at ColleenWoodMD.com

8/12/26