Casey Wilson Blamed Herself for Son's Celiac Diagnosis: 'It Was My Fault'

Celiac.com 12/10/2019 - Any mother of children with celiac disease can likely empathize with actress Casey Wilson. The Mrs. Fletcher star confesses that she was at wit's end when testing confirmed that her son, Max had celiac disease — a genetic, auto-immune condition triggered by gluten consumption.

At first, she said, she was convinced the sky was falling, that the situation was "absolutely dire and it was my fault, that what needed fixing was me."

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While Wilson was happy to finally have an answer, the star also emphasized how the experience made her reflect on the ways she viewed herself as a mother.

With time, and some support from husband, David Caspe, Wilson began to calm down and get a handle on her feelings, and a perspective on the situation. 

“It was a shock, followed by unimaginable relief," she said. "We finally had a diagnosis, and in the grand scheme of things it was a very manageable one,” the actress shared of learning her son’s condition. “We felt lucky it was not something worse.”

As is not unprecedented, Max got tested, and thus diagnosed, by accident. It was only after suffering a broken leg, and a later seizure that doctors ordered a battery of blood tests, including a screen for celiac antibodies, which revealed the celiac disease.

For all his early challenges, after six months on a gluten-free diet, Max saw major improvements in behavior and mood.

“In six months, almost to the day, his truer self emerged...he is now an outwardly thriving, happy 4-year-old who is exploding with creativity and bursting with life,” she proudly shared.

Like so many moms, Wilson came to learn that  “It wasn’t about me! It wasn’t about my failure as a mother. And that’s something I have had to reckon with,” she explained. “Why was I so hard on myself? Why are we mothers all so hard on ourselves? With each passing day as his health improves, so too does my mental health.”

For any parent, having children become sick, or get diagnosed with an auto-immune condition like celiac disease, can be a serious blow, and offer strong invitations toward guilt, and self-blame. Casey Wilson's experience shows a very human aspect of the very human struggle to deal with such a reality.  

Hopefully, her story will help others struggling with similar scenarios. We wish her the best.

Do you have a story of struggling through a child's diagnosis with celiac disease? Share your story in our comments section below.

Read more at: people.com