I Want To Be The First Celiac To.....

[Guest BERNESES]

OK- so I NEED something to get me going again after everything that's gone on the last 3 months (quick version: had gall bladder out, took PhD exam, 36 year old husband had stroke, and now I have C Diff). I need something to look forward to, to strive for..... no, finishing my PhD is all well and good, but something more than that. That's like my career.

So, I was thinking I wanted to do something to raise Celiac awareness and money for Celiac research and be the first person with Celiac's to..... and that's where I get stuck. I want it to be something challenging, that I have to train for, but not too extreme. Don't want to be the first person with Celiac's to climb Mt Everest (too easy ). Something that I can raise money for and traon for between now and June 2007 because I could do it over next summer.

So, of course I've come up with silly ideas like:

1. First Celiac to try every gluten free beer in the world (OOH YEAH!!!!!!)

2. First Celiac to swim her way cross country (not literally- but drive from state to state and swim in at least one river/ocean/lake in every state (check out www.swimmingholes.org)

3. First Celiac to eat a pizza without keeling over (not worth it)

But I'm having trouble thinking of ideas that aren't too outrageous (like surfing on every continent which I would KILL to do but I have a hard time believing anyone would give me money to do this. Too fun!)

Marathon running is out (no back).

Someone biked across the US last summer to raise Celiac awareness so that's already been done.

Lets see- I like to swim, surf, ski, photograph, travel, walk, hike,

Looking for inspiration

Funny and outrageous ideas totally welcome!!!!

[DingoGirl]

excellent Bev, and may I say that you certainly have more energy/strength than I did during my siege with c. diff!!

I will ponder these things. I am really wanting to "raise awareness" (such an over-used term) about Celiac....my shrink was pleased to hear about the brain issues today and what I've learned. He is a gentle and thoughtful man and was most interested. He said that in this country, Celiac is like an "orphan" disease - not popular. He said that Brad Pitt needs to get it, or somebody like that. BTW I told my shrink that I wouldn't be needing him as much any more, and he was so pleased. I am off almost all meds and feeling great - --

But back to topic - - I'm starting to write letters to pertinent people, getting the word out. BUT....something more dramatic must be done!

What about Kilamanjaro....even Martha Stewart did that.... YOu would love it - - so would I, in better shape...

hmmmmm....pondering this one......

[penguin]

I'm not as "in to" the whole excercise thing. I'm no help there.

I want to be the first sillyak with a show on the Food Network

Like a gluten-free Paula Deen...

[eleep]

Well -- there's always my own personal goal:

I want the be the first celiac to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Somehow I don't think I'd be the first, but it might be good to be the first group of celiacs to do so!

I don't know whether anyone would give us money for that or not -- seems too selfish, somehow!

[jennyj]

I'm not as "in to" the whole excercise thing. I'm no help there.

I want to be the first sillyak with a show on the Food Network

Like a gluten-free Paula Deen...

Horray for you!!!!!! I'd watch

[tarnalberry]

First celiac to photograph celiacs having lovely meals in all the restaurants around the country that cater to celiacs. You could not only get funding from celiac associations and research centers, but also restaurant chains if you can come up with a plan for getting some media attention (or, for that matter, you might get the media to pay for some of it).

(If backpacking was on the list, I'd say the first celiac to backpack the PCT (pacific crest trail - runs from canada to mexico). You could probably get sponsors from some food vendors. I picked up a bunch of Gluten Free Pantry food just for backpacking.)

[Guest BERNESES]

Well -- there's always my own personal goal:

I want the be the first celiac to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Somehow I don't think I'd be the first, but it might be good to be the first group of celiacs to do so!

I don't know whether anyone would give us money for that or not -- seems too selfish, somehow!

That's a cool idea!!!!!!! I bet people would donate money for that. A group would be really cool but I don't think I can commit to the six month trek. We should keep that one in the "things to ponder" file.

It DEFINITELY does not have to be exercise related....My husband just came back from a Red Sox game and I thought it would be cool to do something like travel to every baseball stadium in the US and sing the Star Spangled banner ('cept I can't sing worth s*&t but I could spend the 9 months taking voice lessons ) or get every stadium in the country to carry gluten free beer (yeah- that now that's selfish!).

Kilimanjaro is a cool idea. Which one did Climb for a Cure do? Somewhere in So America. I would LOVE that. Or maybe keep it US and do Whitney which is the highest peak in the continental US. Denali- no.

But I'm thinking FUN too, Penguin (It's so weird to call you that- you're Chelsea) !

Keep the ideas coming. It could even be a group thing. Even more fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First celiac to photograph celiacs having lovely meals in all the restaurants around the country that cater to celiacs. You could not only get funding from celiac associations and research centers, but also restaurant chains if you can come up with a plan for getting some media attention (or, for that matter, you might get the media to pay for some of it).

OMG- what a great idea. Like one restaurant in every state. Ooohhh... I like that!!!!!!!!!!!! Instead of fast Food Nation it could be Safe Food Nation. Restaurants would be all over that! It would be good publicity. Actually, it wuld be cool to have restaurants submit the ultimate gluten-free dinner and start a website where people vote which restaurant I go to in every city (I could hit all the state capitals). That would be cool. Local specialties gluten free.

Or get Morgan Spurlock to come live with me for 30 days and eat gluten-free. His show 30 days is awesome. But I want it to be fun too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[eleep]

If nothing else, I think I'm eventually going to start a celiac.com trekking group now that all the hikers are coming out of the woodwork.

Is there something that could be sold? I'm remembering selling gummi bears in high school to pay for my exchange-student trip to Germany. Could we sell baskets filled with Larabars and Immodium?

[Guest BERNESES]

Is there something that could be sold? I'm remembering selling gummi bears in high school to pay for my exchange-student trip to Germany. Could we sell baskets filled with Larabars and Immodium?

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jerseyangel]

Or get Morgan Spurlock to come live with me for 30 days and eat gluten-free. His show 30 days is awesome. But I want it to be fun too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this one!!!!!

[Guest Robbin]

If nothing else, I think I'm eventually going to start a celiac.com trekking group now that all the hikers are coming out of the woodwork.

Is there something that could be sold? I'm remembering selling gummi bears in high school to pay for my exchange-student trip to Germany. Could we sell baskets filled with Larabars and Immodium?

Erica-you are too funny! I have a goal to at least do two states of the great Appalachian Trail in my lifetime. I think it will take me another year to get to a good place health-wise, but I will sure give it my best. The photograph idea is a great one. I would be interested in a book like that with the names of the places and their menus and pictures of celiacs eating and relaxing at the dining tables!

Love the Morgan Spurlock idea!!

Chelsea, I love that idea. I have dreamed of a show like that !

Bev, How about a documentary like "The life of a celiac" showing the frustration of meal planning, restaurant problems, doctor problems, finding decent bathrooms on the road in an emergency, etc. Not Morgan Spurlock, but you as the guide.

[frenchiemama]

How about organizing an "eat in" or an "eating for awareness" campaign? People could post all of the safe restaurants in their area, and on a chosen day everyone would go out to eat with their families wearing T-shirts with some kind of logo or slogan on them. Or maybe pick certain restaurants and everyone in the area would descend en mass to eat dinner. If nothing else, it would be visible and maybe some kind of fundraising could be done selling t-shirts. I don't know. Is that silly?

Or better yet, try to enlist the help of one of the celiac friendly chains like Outback or PF Changs. Then on the chosen day everyone would go to one of those specific restaurants. It might be a good visual reminder of how many people are impacted by this disease if 25 celiacs all show up for dinner at once.

[2Boys4Me]

Or better yet, try to enlist the help of one of the celiac friendly chains like Outback or PF Changs. Then on the chosen day everyone would go to one of those specific restaurants. It might be a good visual reminder of how many people are impacted by this disease if 25 celiacs all show up for dinner at once.

Plus the families that eat with them. Let's face it, when one person in the family has Celiac, it changes everyone's diet to a certain extent. We only buy gluten-free cereal now. Where 4 people used to eat Kellogg's now it's zero. The end result has to be to encourage more people to get on board with being celiac friendly or at least aware that bread=flour=wheat=even if it's "white" bread.

Know what I mean?

[eleep]

There could be some kind of riff on the Bake-off or Bakesale theme.

[Turtle]

Hey!

Great thoughts and ideas. I've been thinking about doing a bike ride (& get some of my friends to help too) to earn $$ for research (once i'm more trained, i'm only up to 15 miles right now). We'll see....that's kinda my overall yearly goal (besides losing some of this stupid gluten-free weight gain agh!)

BUT, i'm also a BIG hiker and I love the App Trail idea. Maybe that could be a group thing....and for those who can't or don't want to do the entire trail maybe just do the portion of the trail in your area, or closest to you or whatever part you want to do, etc.

[Guest BERNESES]

Hey!

Great thoughts and ideas. I've been thinking about doing a bike ride (& get some of my friends to help too) to earn $$ for research (once i'm more trained, i'm only up to 15 miles right now). We'll see....that's kinda my overall yearly goal (besides losing some of this stupid gluten-free weight gain agh!)

BUT, i'm also a BIG hiker and I love the App Trail idea. Maybe that could be a group thing....and for those who can't or don't want to do the entire trail maybe just do the portion of the trail in your area, or closest to you or whatever part you want to do, etc.

That would be cool!!!!!!!!! We could even do like relay teams where whoever lives in Georgia does that part, and then each person does a state or whatever portion they can on up to Maine and then have a similar relay on the Pacific Crest Trail.

I was thinking about maybe making my first attempt local and going from there. These are ALL great ideas. I like the eat-in with a chain where on a given night everyone goes to the Outback or someplace that has a gluten-free menu and wears a t-shirt. And the family point is so KEY because you're right, if one person in a family has it, everyone does.

Keep 'em coming!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys are awesome. Would love to do the book. maybe I really should get in touch with Morgan Spurlock. He could do a Thirty Days where a family that eats a lot of gluten would volunteer to go gluten-free for 30 days and show their frustration food shopping, packing kids' lunches etc. How about a volunteer fraternity- no beer and pizza for 3- days? THAT would be VERY interesting!

[eleep]

The volunteer fraternity thing would crack me up. My ex-boyfriend was Sig. Ep. and, in my more bitter-haha moments, I've thought that he dumped me because he was appalled at the idea that someone could live a life without beer!

[penguin]

The volunteer fraternity thing would crack me up. My ex-boyfriend was Sig. Ep. and, in my more bitter-haha moments, I've thought that he dumped me because he was appalled at the idea that someone could live a life without beer!

LOL, in my experience, Sig Ep's would rather give up breathing than give up beer

[eleep]

I've been thinking about this stuff and I had a little daydream on my way to teaching class today (seems I can't keep my mind on the American Literature I'm supposed to be thinking about). Anyway -- we've got a lot of great writers on this board with a lot of really nuanced insight into the many aspects of dealing with celiac and the way it totally reconfigures one's life -- not just diet and body, but relationships and even philosophical and political perspectives on how to live in the world, eat in the world and be in the world.

What if we were to put together a collection of essays, write up a book proposal and shop it around to publishers? The proceeds from the book could go to celiac research. I imagine that, since the NIH is about to launch this awareness campaign there's about to be a very big market for all things related to celiac, so it could be a very good way to raise money.

I'm definitely thinking like a scholar here (wish I had this much confidence about publishing my own research) -- but I've got editing experience and such. There's got to be someone on this board with publishing connections outside the academic presses......

[DingoGirl]

I LOVE this idea.......I can be in charge of the my-brain-was-ruined-by-celiac-and-I-went-nuts category......

[Turtle]

You guys are so fun!

[2Boys4Me]

Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for the Celiac Soul?

[Guest BERNESES]

Oh my gosh- these are all such GREAT ideas.

Eleep and Chelsea- Ditto on the Sig Ep thing. I don't think they CAN breathe without beer. We have a local chapter. Maybe I could get them to do a "gluten-free challenge" for charity.

Eleep- Someone on here...mvaught I think is also in academia and had the same idea! It's a great one and many people volunteered to write essays but I haven't seen her around in awhile. Maybe we could revive that idea too! DingoGirl- you're only crazy in the BEST way possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gluten Free Chicken Soup for the Celiac Soul is awesome too!

[DingoGirl]

Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for the Celiac Soul?

this is fantastic....

oh and by the way, Bev and everyone, I think CRAZY is actually when you fully lose touch with reality, right?....unfortunately that never happened to me, because I think that would have been enormously more enjoyable....

[amybeth]

What about all of those "BIGGEST" records:

Create/bake the world's largest gluten free pizza - wedding cake - pot of chili - bowl of macaroni , etc. etc.

People in the community could purchase a plate full........................Call Ripley's and the world record book, etc.............get word out......

OR an eating contest:

gluten-free Pie eating contest -- (or pie throwing!)

Again purchase your entrance fee...................................

OR an awareness dinner...........you know like those charity dinners that people pay $$$$/plate for.

Get celiacs and non-celiacs to buy plates, have a HUGE gluten-free meal and a speaker......

In any of these, you contact the local media, tv, newspaper, life style magazines and have them cover the event?!