Crossed Grain

SUPPORTER NEWS | 3 Every year, we are so grateful to receive legacy gifts from supporters who have passed away but who chose to remember Coeliac UK in their Will. John Wood, a long-standing member, is one such generous individual. His brother, Martin, shared John’s story with us. “John was a parish priest in Yorkshire and only discovered that he had coeliac disease by accident when he was being treated in the 1980s for a heart problem. We hadn’t heard of it before but after a while we realised that our mum was suffering similar symptoms whenever we made her a sandwich. The information we received from Coeliac UK about the gluten free diet enabled us to support her as well. “John would get incredibly frustrated about the attitude of supermarkets and restaurants regarding the lack of gluten free options. He would write lots of letters complaining Celebrating our long term supporters that ‘coeliac disease is not a lifestyle choice’ but he felt that the information provided by Coeliac UK about the gluten free diet was incredibly helpful in enabling him to live as normal a life as possible. “As a priest, he was able to access gluten free communion wafers and he had these available to anyone else in his congregation that needed them. They were a different shape so it was easy to tell the difference!” John’s generous gift will enable us to continue to campaign on the issue which was so close to his own heart: improving access to affordable gluten free food in shops and restaurants. If you would like to know more about leaving a gift in your Will to Coeliac UK, please visit: www.coeliac.org.uk/giftsinwills John Wood We’re delighted to introduce Noveed who will be helping us to pilot a new online support offering for 12 - 15 year olds later this year. Noveed told us in his own words about some of the challenges he has faced growing up with coeliac disease and why he is excited to get involved with the project. Q. Tell us about your diagnosis story A. I’d been eating gluten with no issues since weaning age and then as I got older, I started having very bad reactions to it, including vomiting, weight loss, weakness, steatorrhea (fatty stools caused by malabsorption) and severe abdominal bloating. At 19 months old I was diagnosed with coeliac disease at Sheffield Children’s Hospital Q. What do you find difficult about being a teenager with coeliac disease? A. Seeing all my friends having lots of choice at restaurants and shops when we go out to eat is difficult. My only choice is normally a jacket potato or a sandwich with a filling I’ve never heard of! Q. Why have you chosen to volunteer for Coeliac UK? A. My dad has been a Member2Member volunteer for a few years and although I originally set out to do the same thing, the Volunteer team from Coeliac UK talked to me about this new project for young people, which I’m really excited about. Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the project? A. The project is aimed at anyone who needs to live gluten free between the age of 12 and 15 years old. It aims to provide a safe space to share ideas about all the things you’ll need to make the jump to independence, such as cooking, eating out and even going abroad without your parents or family. Meet Noveed, our new teen volunteer! We can’t wait to share more about this exciting project. You can also keep up to date with the latest news on our website.