Ashley was in denial about her allergy, then realized how serious it could be.

My name is Ashley and I'm from Springfield, New Jersey.



When I was 16 I found out that I have Celiac Disease which is an intolerance to gluten which means that I'm not supposed to eat anything that has wheat products or wheat, rye, barley and oats.



I was always a skinny kid and my mom was curious as to why. So I got a blood test and they found out that I had like certain antibodies. And then I had to get a biopsy of my intestine to see if there was any damage and it was confirmed that I had it.



I remember when I found out that I was really kind of sad. I remember I cried because I was like who's allergic to wheat? That's so strange.



For a while I kind of didn't even stick to my diet because I was like, no you can't be allergic to wheat.



When I'd go out with my friends it kind of sucks that I can't like just get whatever I want. I can't have pizza. Like I can't really have fast food. Like I have to get like salads or stuff like that so it's kind of not as fun anymore.



After a while I was like all right I guess I should kind of stop and like see what happens cuz I don't want to tar myself in the future because you can actually get cancer or develop other like serious problems like osteoporosis from not sticking to your diet.



So I started to do that. And then once and a while I would cheat and then I would find that I would get really sick.



Now I stick to my diet and I found that it's like a very common disease and a lot of people have it. There are a lot of alternatives and actually a lot of celebrities are taking on a gluten free diet just because they feel like it's healthier for them.