11 Year Old Works to Raise Celiac Awareness

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Written by Kyle Eslick / Published in News & Notes

Recently Newsweek featured a young man (11 years old) named James McConnell, who is working very hard to increase Celiac awareness in his area through an upcoming walk called Moving Feet Without Wheat.

If you’d like to learn more about this young man, an interview was recently conducted by the Star Telegram with this sixth grader who is trying to make a difference. Here is a small portion of the interview:

When were you diagnosed with celiac disease?

I got diagnosed in December of 2002 and then sometime later my mom also tested positive. And my dad is gluten-intolerant. I was the first in my family who was diagnosed. So we didn’t know what to do. I had constipation, behavioral issues and I could not grow. I started on a sugar- and wheat-free diet. I did really well. My mom thought it was the sugar. So they put me back on wheat and all my health issues got messed up again. So we switched them.

How did you have to change your lifestyle and eating habits?

Even though I can’t have my friends’ birthday cake, my mom can make other cakes for me, doughnuts and pizza. I can have everything; we just use a different recipe.

How has it affected your family?

We’ve gotten a lot happier. We have a better relationship now that a lot of stress is off us. I’m also growing a lot better.

What do you want to accomplish?

Well, obviously everyone’s goal is to get a cure. But I want as many people to know as possible. I want people to know they have it so we can get healthier lives, and if they find a cure, that’d be good, too.

Increasing Celiac awareness is extremely important in my opinion, so it is great to see a young man trying to make a difference. Great job James!

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