Fundraiser to raise celiac awareness

Karleigh Gelowitz is a Yorkton Regional High School student who was diagnosed six months ago with Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease is not one a lot of people know a lot about, to the point it took a long time for doctors to even diagnose the disease, said the 17-year-old student.

Celiac Disease is a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten. This results in an inability of the body to absorb nutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, causing numerous symptoms.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, triticale, and barley. At present there is no cure, and the only known treatment is following a strict gluten-free diet.

Diagnosis is difficult as biopsies must be performed to verify the condition. It is estimated that 1 in 133 persons in Canada are affected by celiac disease. Living with Celiac disease means checking every ingredient on every label every time you eat.

Gelowitz said until her own diagnosis she had only heard about the disease once.

"I didn't know much about it," she said.

In the simplest terms a person's body does not digest gluten properly, meaning when a sufferer ingests gluten they have terrible stomach pains.

Gelowitz's mother, Kathleen Stuckey, said it's a case where gluten starts a reaction which eats away at the intestines.

If undiagnosed it can be a precursor to cancer and Crohn's Disease, added Gelowitz.

Gelowitz said the condition is one which requires being very careful what she eats.

Dining out is very difficult. Cross contamination is common, food must be cooked separately to other meals. Rashes may develop from using hygiene products with gluten in them. Today's processed and packaged foods may have many hidden sources of gluten, such as soups, luncheon meats, spreads, deserts and dressings, she explained.

To help raise awareness of the disease, and to raise money for the Canadian Celiac Association (CCA) Gelowitz has organized a Zumbathon through her school.

The event will be held Friday, March 30, from 7-to-10 p.m., with an admission, to raise funds of $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Funds raised will go to the CCA which is the national voice for people who are adversely affected by gluten, and is dedicated to improving diagnosis and quality of life. The primary goal of the Association is to provide support and information to individuals diagnosed with celiac disease. Other major goals include:

*Provide the general public and health professionals with education and awareness of these diseases.

*Encourage medical research and advise manufacturers and distributors about gluten-free foods.

*Act as the advocate for persons with celiac disease to other organizations and government departments.

For those unfamiliar with Zumba Fitness, it is a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music with contagious steps to form a "fitness-party" that is downright addictive.

Stuckey said the fundraiser is something her daughter has talked about almost from the day she was diagnosed.

"She talked about wanting to do something positive," she said, adding raising awareness is important for those with the disease too. She said when diagnosed her daughter " felt like the only teenager in the world who couldn't eat a McDonald's burger."

In addition to the Zumbathon, there will be a silent auction of donated items.

Tickets are available for the event now, and are available at YRHS, and ForeverFit which is a co-sponsor for the event, and is supplying the Zumba instructors.

"You can get tickets at the door," said Gelowitz, who added advance tickets are helpful because they can manage the event based on numbers more easily.