A trait that becomes one of the most important in a Celiac's life. It's a trait that becomes important for anyone that has been burdened with a severe food allergy. A trait that becomes the difference between an allergic reaction/attack and going about the rest of your day happily.
In a child that has a gluten allergy/celiac disease, it is harder to build upon that trait from an early age. I've sat through many pizza parties/cupcake days empty-handed, and believe me, even after having to do so for six years, it's still difficult. To watch all of your peers eat that gluten-filled treat with no worries of later attacks, compared to you, who has to be afraid of even receiving a small trace of the protein which can trigger a major attack on your system. I've learned to avert my eyes, to busy myself, or bring my own snacks on those types of days, but it's never the same. People give me pitying looks, I hear "It's not even that good", "You're not missing out on much" and so many varieties of that same phrase. As I sit here thinking as I'm typing, I can't help but imagine the children in elementary school that cannot eat gluten. However, days ago, I read an article that was comparing the pros/cons of banning parents from bringing in cake/cupcakes period for their children's birthdays, since allergies in children have begun to dramatically increase over the past few years.
In this particular article, the mother of the child WITHOUT the allergy argued that it's not particularly fair that her child isn't allowed to have cake/cupcakes brought to him/her on their birthday just because one child in the room cannot eat the cake. She continues by explaining how the school has a policy where the product has to be allergen friendly and store-bought, it cannot be home-made, and she argues in the article that while it's fair for one child, it's unfair for the rest of the children. If I'm being totally honest right now, she's right. If I could eat wheat, I'd totally think that it's unfair to have to eat that wheat-free stuff, JUST because she can't eat wheat. It's arguable, of course, that gluten-free desserts taste just like (if not better - I'm biased.) regular desserts. However, this stuff is so expensive! Why would anyone want to go to the store and buy a box of $4.32 gluten-free cake mix, when I can just go out and buy a $1.32 regular cake mix? (I price-compared, just for you guys.) It's simple. No one would. I'm that one child in the class who can't eat it, and I wouldn't. It's just how it ends up. I'd rather not take the fun out of getting good food in class for everyone else, just because I cannot eat it! You know? Maybe that's just the passive side of me speaking, but that mother's argument made perfect sense to me! If it bothers you that bad that your child can't eat the cake, make her something else to bring that she can eat while they eat the cake, and on her birthday, make the class a gluten-free cake/cupcakes! It's a simple fix - one that I've been using for years. Having to make up for my own food when I go on trips with the school. It's how things are when you're forced to deal with this.
So yes, food. This topic has another side in public schooling: School lunch. Before I even was officially diagnosed with Celiac, I brought my lunch to school. However, now that I officially cannot, I wish I could, or had at least tried it at some point. Carrying a lunch box can get really irritating, especially when you're always having to carry your book-bag, a purse, a bag with a change of clothes for afterschool activities, a 6-foot flagpole/rifle (for color-guard, you might not carry this around with you, to each their own), and then a lunch box on top of that. I look like a pack-mule and anyway I can get away with lifting my load is a way that I welcome with open, pleading arms! Now school lunches are obviously not going to be Celiac-friendly just right off the bat. There are tons of other kids in that school, and they won't revolve their food choices on one child. (See, and we're back to another reason why birthday cake is fine in the classroom.) However, on a brighter-side note, I know my school offers allergy-safe lunches. My mom emailed back and forth with the school lunch manager, and they planned my lunches according to what the other students were eating that day at school. This went on for the first six months of my freshman year. It kind of became a nightmare. The food wasn't exactly the best, and it was embarrassing to be pulled out and about to be handed the lunch specially. I ended up opting out of the program, but it was a good-idea. Don't get me wrong, I give them credit. There was one other student in my school that had "Celiac" disease, and a third grader somewhere else in the county that was on the program with me; so I wasn't alone.
But I am. Let me tell you, I am so alone in the fact that I'm a Celiac and gluten-free at my school. There have been four other people that I can think of that at one point had to go gluten-free due to medical reasons, and three of them are no longer gluten-free because it was a fluke by their doctor; and the one that is still supposed to be gluten-free cheats all the time, and doesn't get major consequences for these slip-ups. (Am I bitter? Yes.) It made me feel better, when there were others that were gluten-free among me. It felt as if someone finally understood what I was dealing with. To have to say no to so many things that I would LOVE to just say yes and eat. But again, I just can't. And it feels as if no-one understands, or takes the time to understand. Not even the adults that are supposed to be supporting me in my school career. That leads me to a huge issue that I've been saving for last:
Bullying.
Oh, what a lovely term that is, isn't it?
I bolded it for emphasis, I think it gives a good effect, yeah?
It's such a huge issue in schools today. It's a big reason why many children are moved to private schools, or are homeschooled. I've found that adolescents tend to poke fun at things they do not understand. So of course, with Celiac disease being such a foreign subject to even me, they would use that to target me, and have been since middle school - although as my disease begins to take a greater effect on my body, the bullying has grown.
It starts with the simple stuff, stuff that doesn't bother me much. Where one of my friends will pick up my lunch out of my lunchbox and will inspect it and go, "Is this your gluten-free crap?" and will open it, harshly judging the taste and talking about how gross it is. I'm used to that. People making fun of the things that I'm eating. That's whatever. However, recently, it's intensified. Boys will be boys. Asking me stupid questions about sexual topics that embarrass me. Talking about how doing things are gluten-free, and that's okay. Boys will be boys. But it shames me. People asking me if stupid, obvious things are gluten-free. "Is this pool water gluten-free?" To threats: "I'm going to drown you in gluten water." or "What would happen if I forced you to eat this bread?" There is one particular person that bombards me about complaining constantly about my Celiac. He is a regular, healthy kid. However, he seems to point out every single time that I talk harshly about my Celiac. You think that he'd let up, but no. Every single time. He attacks me and tells me to stop complaining, but he just doesn't understand. He has no problems whatsoever to his name. I've tried explaining the severity to my disease, and what it could lead to, but he throws into my face the condition of someone we're both close to who was thought to have Celiac who suffered from neurological issues. People like him are those who cause me to breakdown because no one tries to understand me. They are quick to jump and complain about me, however they don't try to see things from my side and that disappoints me.
I've read about worse bullying due to Celiac. By no means am I saying that I have it bad. I'm saying that it shouldn't be happening at all. It happens even in our media, and that's a huge problem that I will discuss in another post for another time. But for now, this is all I have. A teenage Celiac girl's view of public school.
Stay Golden Celiacs.
Jessica.
