More Than a Label

Nicole Johnson reflects on her daughter’s diagnosis of Celiac Disease and a lesson on the assumptions and intolerance that can take over when we reduce others to a label. 

Funny (but not) how life can shift so quickly. In the course of a week and a half, we went from a happy-go-lucky gluten-consuming family to assessing every crumb that passed our daughter’s lips. The loss of three pounds from her 13-year checkup to her 14-year exam triggered enough concern with our daughter’s pediatrician that extra blood work was ordered. Results hinted at a gluten intolerance which led to the scheduling of an endoscopy to take a closer look.

Those results were conclusive, and we left with a diagnosis of Celiac Disease for our Goldfish-obsessed, pasta-loving, yes-to-all-things-baked-goods daughter. All of a sudden, that promised stop at Dunkin' Donuts on the way home was no longer an option. It was merely the tip of an iceberg of restrictions she would now have to live with.  

I dove into the research. I had so many questions. My understanding was limited at best, framed only by the presentation of an upset stomach should someone with a sensitivity ingest gluten. I had absolutely no idea the havoc gluten can wreak on a body that reacts to this otherwise innocent protein. I was even more surprised to learn someone can have Celiac with no outward symptoms, as is the case with our daughter.   

Come to find out, all the trouble takes place in the small intestine. Once gluten enters the small intestine of someone with Celiac, their immune system mistakenly identifies the protein as some sort of enemy and attacks. The healthy villi — otherwise known as small hair-like thingies — that line the walls of the small intestine are the real victims of the attack. After extensive exposure, these guys start to lose strength and eventually fall flat. This is a real problem because the villi’s job is to stand tall and proud and increase the surface area of the intestine to help it absorb all the good stuff passing through: proteins, vitamins, minerals, and yes, fats and sugars too. 

When life throws you a curveball   

Our daughter’s endoscopy showed a smooth interior to her small intestine. The villi are there, but they have all been worn down by exposure to gluten and they’ve got nothing left to fight with. The good news is, once we remove gluten from her diet, her small intestine should heal and within a year or so, those villi warriors should be upright and hungry for nutrients. For now, we are supplementing some extra vitamins and doing our best to play gluten detectives with careful evaluation of every label. It's not so easy when gluten can be included in many things other than food: toothpaste, Chapstick, makeup, shampoo … the list seems to go on and on.    

I’ve learned a lot in the past few weeks, not the least of which is this lesson that seems to keep repeating itself in my life. I can be presumptive of things I know little about. If I’m going to be completely honest, I may have questioned, once or twice, the need for the gluten-challenged to be so diligent and cautious about what goes into their bodies.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a generalization … while there are definitely outliers, overall, I’d say we humans are kinda good at that, no? Making assumptions, that is. Deciding our position on one subject or another and closing off all entries of other opinions. We can be quick to build barriers — often unintentionally — around what makes sense to us, what we find to be comfortable, our definition of what is OKk and what is not.

Before long, if we aren’t careful about what we take in, we tend to attack those who think differently (whether outwardly or not) and our ability to find the good in others who may not carry the same opinion falls flat.  

More than a label  

We are a few months out from the current firestorm of opinions, currently wreaking havoc on our country, making landfall in the voting booths. People are scared. Some feel threatened. Many are operating as if their opinion somehow cancels out the humanity of those who feel differently. Attacks are being launched on social media with generalized statements becoming personal for acquaintances, friends, even family who don't see eye to eye. It’s not always easy to identify who or how someone may take offense as we don’t all show outward symptoms of our deeply held beliefs. Comments can hide in an otherwise passive Facebook post, a seemingly innocent remark when chatting with a neighbor, the list goes on and on.  

In the end, I’d submit we’d all do well to remember that not one of us can be reduced to a label. First and foremost, we are individuals made up of unique lessons, experiences, disappointments, hardships, successes, and joys. A nation as worn down as ours will take significant recourse to heal. But I think it’s possible. Especially if we aren’t afraid to follow the example of the One our nation was created under. If we live a life free of concern for how our decisions might affect others, a generalized intolerance will be quick to follow. Rather, we all need to aspire to look at others as God looks at us. He sees the good first, always leads with love, and selflessly risks everything to build peace in our broken world.  

Amazingly enough, our daughter has transitioned beautifully to this new lifestyle with little to no complaints about all the foods she used to love that are no longer a part of her menu. She continues to be this shining example to us of all that is possible when we choose joy over anger, gratitude over frustration and take every opportunity to lead with love.   

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Copyright 2024 Nicole Johnson
Images: Canva