For me, living gluten free is a nonnegotiable result of having Celiac disease and I am stuck with this for the rest of my life. I don’t have a choice. The other allergies, peanuts and almonds, are something my body can’t tolerate or process and I get very sick but thankfully I’m don’t have an anaphylactic reaction but I am also stuck with these for life too.

It feels so unfair. I used to be so angry at the disease, at the limitations, at the restrictions, at the alternatives and at the fact that I even developed it. I didn’t do anything to deserve this, so why me? I can’t take medication and get better, surgery can’t fix anything and it will never go away.

I used to be embarrassed by this emotion. How can anyone be angry at a disease, right? Through the years, I’ve talked with a variety of people who have a disease that just happened to them too and it has truly humbled me. Some of their diseases, though different and often much worse, had much more serious impacts on their lives then my disease would ever have on mine.  It’s put my life and attitude back into proper perspective.

This is the hand I was dealt in life and I have choices about how I’m going to handle it. I’ve chosen to try to be positive and look on the bright side. I know this is going to sound a bit crazy but in the scheme of things I consider myself to be the lucky one. In the simplest of terms, my disease is manageable by diet. I don’t require medication or surgery to have my health. By changing my foods, being informed, being very careful and learning to speak up for myself, I have been able to develop a fabulous and thriving life.

It’s still not fair but then again who ever said life is fair.