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Vanessa Maltin

Director of Programming & Communications

Vanessa Maltin

vanessa@CeliacCentral.org


For the first 21 years of my life I lived like any other young person. I ate pizza, sandwiches, cookies and cake and, like most other college students, welcomed my 21st birthday with a cold beer. However, unlike most of my friends who could stay out and party all night long, nearly every time I ate I got sick. We’re not talking sick like I had a cold with a runny and stuffy nose. We’re talking about constant diarrhea. No…let’s be honest here. Explosive diarrhea that just kept flowing until there was nothing left in my stomach, but just kept coming.

Yes, I farted, much to the dismay of many of my male friends who didn’t believe that girly girls actually passed gas. I had headaches all the time and what seemed like a permanent room at the George Washington University Hospital. It was a big joke among my friends about who was going to be the next one to run to the drugstore to buy me anti-diarrhea medication. I should have been the poster child for Pepto-Bismal.

For 21 years I endured constant stomachaches, migraine headaches and unexplained skin problems. I visited doctor after doctor, took several courses of steroids and experimented with every migraine medication on the market. I even showed up to my sorority formal with an IV in my arm because the doctors couldn’t figure out a better way to keep me hydrated. Nothing helped.

For all of those years I was essentially poisoning myself just by eating what I thought were normal meals.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease after writing an in-depth article for the Palm Beach Post about the National Institutes of Health’s Consensus Conference. After doing several interviews with celiac disease experts, I went straight to my doctor with interview notes in hand and got tested. Sure enough, the test came back positive. 

At first, I was depressed about my situation for about a month, but with a great deal of inspiration from my parents and the support of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, I decided that instead of being upset about my condition, I would be happy because for the first time in 21 years, I wasn’t sick!! 

Accepting my disease as a blessing rather than a curse was by far one of the greatest moments of my life. The realization was life altering and one I hope to share with all young people who have celiac disease.

With the help of NFCA, I wrote Beyond Rice Cakes: A Young Person's Guide to Cooking, Eating & Living Gluten-Free.

Beyond Rice Cakes offers hilarious first-person tales of the trials and tribulations associated with celiac disease including the often embarrassing side effects and surviving college without beer. More importantly, it guides newly diagnosed celiacs—especially young celiacs—through managing a healthy gluten-free diet that is easy and fun to maintain.

The book contains more than 150 easy-to-make recipes including snacks and finger foods, soups and salads, main dishes and desserts. The pages are filled with advice from experts for maintaining a gluten-free diet and humorous stories that illustrate the realities of life with celiac disease.

As NFCA's director of programming & communications I am working on projects that aim to raise celiac awareness among the public and medical communities through our National Awareness Campaign. I hope that you'll get involved and become a part of the amazing NFCA family.






 
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