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In 1984, Lis Kilgour gave birth to a very healthy 9 lb. 3 oz. baby boy. His name is Eric. For the first 4 months while on
just rice pablum and fruit, he thrived.
As she introduced regular foods to him he got sick. First the doctors said that he was lazy. Then they said that he
was always sick because of asthma. Then as he turned two years of age, they were concerned that he was retarded, then they
thought that he had Cystic Fibrosis.
The point of this, is that they just had no idea what was wrong with him. Eventually, with the help of his grandfather,
Eric was taken from home against the doctor's wishes, and brought to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It was amazing
how fast the doctors had him diagnosed as a Celiac. They said that he was within two weeks of dying of malnutrition. Just
like all of those children on those hunger commercials. His stomach was protruded, his nails and hair limp, his stomach in
pain, he was lathargic and only 19 lbs.
Thanks to the aide of Nutritionists and the assistance that they supplied like shopping skills, label reading, and the
Gluten Free Diet that they taught, Eric was put back on the road to recovery.
Celiac is a funny disease. Many Celiacs can live a fairly normal life on a regular diet but still suffer nagging problems,
but yet they survive, always feeling a little unwell. For example, a woman may experience many miscarriages, and not realizing
that it was because she was a Celiac and nutritionally malnourished. Or a man with tall people in his family, may end up
growing to several inches shorter than the others.
In Eric's case, the Celiac Disease was so severe, that they made Eric a test case at Sick Kids. Eric could not have survived
without a "Gluten Free" diet.
Until today, Eric has never had the pleasure of a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, Pizza Pizza, or a Sara Lee Cake, but he's
managed to find delicious foods like Swiss Chalet Chicken and Ribs, and Baskin and Robbins icecream cakes. But Eric has had
the pleasure of growing up healthy and feeling well his last 15 years.
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