From the moment I was born, my biggest role model has been my mother. She has been instrumental in inspiring my advocacy work and how I carry myself in the day to day life. She never preached, she simply always lived by example. Prior to having us as kids she had a career in social work, advocating for children, teens and young adults. Once my brother got his autism diagnosis she fought fearlessly year after year with our school district to ensure my brother had the proper services that he not only needed, but deserved. When three out of the four of her children got diagnosed with celiac disease, she went back to the mat and advocated for us again and again in every situation we had to walk through. She doesn’t just do this for her children, but because she is a constant champion for society's “underdogs”, simply because that’s the right thing to do. I may be biased, but I fully believe my mother’s impact will be felt for generations to come because of her resilience in her own advocacy work. And I strive to be more like her every day.

In the past I’ve interviewed both of my sisters, but I’m so thankful to get to sit down and chat with my mother on our Celiac Disease Diagnosis from her perspective. I also now know she herself has celiac disease. I cannot wait for things to come full circle and be on her case to make sure she’s eating gluten free like she did to us 16 years ago. 

If you have any questions or fun stories to share, feel free to reach out at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠. 

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This episode is produced by Leigh Francis Productions.