COLUMBUS, OH - Joseph Webb, 55, doesn’t want
to be defined by his People With Gluten Allergy-Allergy.
“I’m a regular person." He says. "I
just have an intolerance for people who are intolerant of wheat products
and won’t shut the fuck up about it.”
 |
| Allergic to the allergic. |
Webb is referring to Celiac Disease. You’ve
probably heard of it—most likely after you offered someone who suffers from it
a beer, chips, or god-forbid, a piece of bread. That person probably then
went on to tell you more than you ever needed or wanted to know about the
disease and the symptoms it triggers, symptoms that must be talked about, often
with total strangers. Abdominal bloating, vomiting, constipation, and
everyone’s favorite, chronic diarrhea!
Trust us, they could go on.
People who suffer from Celiac Disease cannot
tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It prompts an immune
response that damages the villi, the fingerlike protrusions that line the small
intestine. For more information about Celiac Disease, offer someone who
suffers from it a cracker.
For Joe Webb and others like him, dealing with
people who can’t deal with gluten can cause irritation, a spike in
blood-pressure, uncontrollable laughter and flatulence.
“I’m a people-person, just not a people with
gluten allergy-person.” Webb admitted. “I’ll be like, hey, who wants to go grab
a beer? It’s Friday. Been a long week. And they’ll be all, ‘Oh, I’d love to but
I have CELIAC DISEASE! Let me tell you about it until you lose your appetite
and/or want to kill yourself.’”
