Navigating college life is no simple task, let alone dealing with the added challenges of living with celiac disease. Yet, Sydney, the daughter of my latest guest Anne Campanella, author of 'Celiac Mom' managed to do just that.
Hear their powerful journey as Ann recounts the struggles and victories in managing celiac disease on a bustling college campus. From creating a makeshift cooking facility in a dorm room to grappling with food safety in the cafeteria, Sydney's story illustrates the resilience and strength of those with celiac disease.
This episode delves deeper into the experiences of college students living with food restrictions. Through the support of Sydney's friends and her own determination, she has navigated her way to a more empathetic and supportive environment.
Ann's openness not only educates but also provides a perspective that many can relate to and learn from.
Many of the tips and advice shared in today's episode can also be transferred over into the workplace.
Learn more about Ultimate Celiac System here
www.belindawhelan.com/ultimateceliacsystem
Join my free community and grab your copy of 11 Mistakes People Make Living Gluten Free here www.belindawhelan.myflodesk.com/11mistakes
Check out my Daily Health Tracker here
HEALTH TRACKER | The Healthy Celiac (belindawhelan.com)
And I would love to connect with you on Instagram thehealthyceliac
If you have a spare moment, please pop over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review. Thank you!
Music Credit bensound.com
Navigating college life is no simple task, let alone dealing with the added challenges of living with celiac disease. Yet, Sydney, the daughter of my latest guest Anne Campanella, author of 'Celiac Mom' managed to do just that.
Hear their powerful journey as Ann recounts the struggles and victories in managing celiac disease on a bustling college campus. From creating a makeshift cooking facility in a dorm room to grappling with food safety in the cafeteria, Sydney's story illustrates the resilience and strength of those with celiac disease.
This episode delves deeper into the experiences of college students living with food restrictions. Through the support of Sydney's friends and her own determination, she has navigated her way to a more empathetic and supportive environment.
Ann's openness not only educates but also provides a perspective that many can relate to and learn from.
Many of the tips and advice shared in today's episode can also be transferred over into the workplace.
Learn more about Ultimate Celiac System here
www.belindawhelan.com/ultimateceliacsystem
Join my free community and grab your copy of 11 Mistakes People Make Living Gluten Free here www.belindawhelan.myflodesk.com/11mistakes
Check out my Daily Health Tracker here
HEALTH TRACKER | The Healthy Celiac (belindawhelan.com)
And I would love to connect with you on Instagram thehealthyceliac
If you have a spare moment, please pop over to Apple Podcasts and leave me a review. Thank you!
Music Credit bensound.com
All right, welcome back to this week's episode of the Healthy Celiac Podcast. I'm your host, belinda Whelan, and I'm very excited today to have a previous guest back on the show, which is Anne Campanella, and she is the author of an incredible book called A Celiac Mum, which I highly recommend that you get a copy of If you've got children. It is perfect to share with loved ones, to kind of show the experience that you're going through as a parent. But even if you aren't a parent yet or don't plan on being a parent, it's just a wonderful read and I'm very excited to have Anne back on the show today, and she's actually here to talk to us about her experience with sending her daughter, sydney, off to college, who has celiac disease. So welcome back to the show, anne. It's wonderful to have you on again.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, Belinda. It is great to see you again and just so fun to continue the conversation.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, it really is, and we were just saying you know it's daytime here for me in Adelaide and it's nighttime for Anne, so we've been able to match up our time zones and get on Zoom and have a great chat today. So I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're welcome. We found the perfect window.
Speaker 1:We did, we made it happen, yes, perfect. So how long has Sydney been at college now?
Speaker 2:Well, she's actually a senior this year, so she has been there about three and a half years.
Speaker 1:Half years, so I know the time I'm so bad with math sometimes Okay.
Speaker 2:Well, in the time this has flown, I mean it's crazy. It's just the years. I'm like where did they go? So?
Speaker 1:Wow, she's a senior already. Oh, my goodness, okay Crazy. So preparation for going to college. What would you say was the hardest thing to help Sydney do?
Speaker 2:Well, she was very she was always very independent. She kind of gave me the sense that she had it, I didn't need to worry. And so you know, my mom brain is going. I need to prepare her. But she didn't really want it because she was at that stage where, you know, teenagers who are older they do know a lot. They don't know everything, but they know a lot.
Speaker 2:But now, talking to her, I just had a great conversation with her a couple days ago and I asked her what was the hardest thing about freshman year and she said oh my gosh, mom, it was so hard because everybody else they're just figuring out, you know college and friends and classes, but on top of that I've got to figure out what is safe for every single meal. And she just wasn't really prepared for that, even though she was prepared in some ways and she actually she chose to go to a school that was close by because she knew the local restaurants and the stores and so at least that gave her a little sense of comfort that you know she could get food if she had to, but figuring out what was safe in the cafeteria, which places on campus and there weren't many would have gluten-free food that she could eat. And she said it was so hard because if you go into the cafeteria and everybody's, you know there's hundreds of students and they're all flowing through the line. She would have to disrupt the line, stop and talk and explain things to the workers and that was embarrassing and just you know hard to do when you're a new student. That's the last thing you want to do is stand out. So you know, those were just some of the hard things.
Speaker 2:Other hard things were, you know, as a new student, everybody's getting to know each other. People are like, hey, let's go grab lunch, you want to go grab coffee, you want to do this? Yeah, and she wanted to do that too, but she couldn't do that easily because obviously she had to know, you know, she had to scope out the place and other than the cafeteria there were no really safe places. There's a place she could get coffee, but that was it. And so if you go somewhere and you're like, you know, you know let's have lunch, but then you can't eat, well, that makes you feel weird and you know that's the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to connect with people. So you know, just things that I guess you'd kind of expect happened. But oh, something else. And at her college they it was actually pretty good during the week.
Speaker 2:She said she never got gluten, there was no cross contamination, there weren't a lot of choices, but she never got gluten. But on the weekends they took away their gluten-free section, so she had nothing. So she really had to, you know, either go out to a fast food restaurant or go to the grocery store, and then she'd have to take food back to the dorm kitchen, which she said was just a joke, because everybody who's cooking there, you know college students are not the neatest, and so there's gluten crumbs everywhere. And you know, if she had to cook, she had to, you know, clean the area first and then, you know, maybe she'd put a pizza on a pan that we brought for her and so she'd have pizza every weekend. You know, not the healthiest, but at least it was something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, wow, that is a challenge. I have heard of other college students that have a bit of a setup in their own room. Is that something that she's done as well, where she had any sort of cooking facilities in her actual room to keep things safe, or a fridge or anything along those lines?
Speaker 2:She does and she's sort of she grew into that. Each year she sort of added to her repertoire. She had an air fryer, she had a microwave and a little refrigerator. But now, as a senior, she's actually in a room with a few other girls and they share a common living space and a cooking space. That's not a, not a kitchen, but they kind of make it as much of a kitchen as they can, and so she has things like she has one pot, one pan, she has a hot plate, measuring cups, a couple bowls, but she has enough. And right now she and her friends and her boyfriend, they all cook together pretty regularly, yeah, and they're so wonderful. They all offer to do gluten-free food. And she's because she's a senior and she's been around the block. She's found her people and they have just been wonderful to her and I know she's wonderful to them and so it's really it's so much safer and she can actually eat and feel good about it. Like her boyfriend cooks a lot of meals for her.
Speaker 1:I'm like wow, that's a good guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a good guy, yes.
Speaker 1:A lot of that comes down to you empowering her over the years. You really helped her feel part of everything that you did for her. You didn't just do it and not educate her. You always made sure that you know, she knew what was going on and she was able to look after herself and speak up and I think that probably has helped her, you know, dramatically on her journey going into college, because I think a lot of parents kind of baby and Molly, what's the word?
Speaker 2:Yes, Molly Carter.
Speaker 1:Yep, that, yeah, yeah, do that to their kids and they're not. They're not helping them to go out on their own, and I think what you've done with Sydney has made a massive difference in how confident she's become and what she's doing, and I think that's fantastic, sorry.
Speaker 2:Oh, that is. That's so sweet to hear. I really can't take that much credit, because she came out that way. She was always very independent, she wanted to do things herself. Yeah, you know, I would try to help her but she'd be like I got this mom and so even when there were times when I knew she was heading for a gluten exposure or you know the potential of one, I just had to let her go and then she would learn and she would figure it out. And you know, I could warn her and she was careful, but she couldn't be careful all the time. But she definitely learned and it's, it's funny, it's one of the things.
Speaker 2:When I asked her, I said is there anything good about having celiac in college? And she said, well, she said she really feels like she eats a little more healthy than most of the students. Yeah, just because she doesn't have as many choices of, you know, bad food. That makes sense. And then I said to her I think that you really learn to speak up for yourself and, to you know, take ownership of your food and your life and different situations, which I don't think she would have done, you know, as a younger person. So it's really amazing.
Speaker 1:It's interesting, yeah. Yeah, that is a huge benefit and, you know, especially for her age. You know we have adults that have celiac disease and don't even get out there and speak up for themselves. They stay at home, they don't eat out and you know they're very well with me. So I think it's incredible to hear such a young person being able to go out and live her life and not let celiac disease hold her back, because it is sad when people you know think that they have to stop doing things because of their requirements having to eat gluten free.
Speaker 1:So you know it is great that she's been able to do that, and she's you know, graduate and go off and live her life and move on to the next chapter. So it's fantastic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that's what it's funny. I mean, she was determined not to let celiac sort of him her in, yeah, and so much so that I thought this is not good, you have to let people know, you just live like everybody else was living and she's just sort of gradually figured out. Yes, she does have to communicate. She learned to go visit the workers at the cafeteria and get to know them, and now they know her face and so they take care of her and she feels safe with them. So situations like that again, they just evolved over time and I am very proud of her. She's amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is incredible. Do you feel like you? Like you said, she's quite independent and she felt confident going and doing those things. Did you feel like when she started college that you needed to step in and do anything for her? Or did she kind of just take the reins and I knew what she needed to do and ask and she did take the reins for the most part and I had no choice.
Speaker 2:I just had to let her and support her and be her cheerleader. But the one thing that I wanted to do, and just tried to do and I hope I did it in a balanced way was just to be there when she needed me, and whether that was just to come in and take her out for a meal because she hadn't eaten enough all week and she was starving and just to her dad and me and would be like let's just go, let's go feed her a great meal, and then she'd just be so happy because of that, or let's go. If she came home, I'd say let's go to the grocery store and just fill up her cart with whatever she needed and try to bring, give her every lots and lots of snacks and food and just anything that she might need.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just to make it easier and comforting, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and I do think particularly students with Celiac at college, you know, because there's so many transitions and so many hard things that they're dealing with they need to have a safe space to either, you know, be able to cry about something or just whine about it or, you know, just get it off their chest and know that they can go somewhere and just relax and eat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean yeah, and that's it. I mean we get it, we understand, but so many people just wouldn't understand that extra layer of stress Like it's. You know it's constant. You know we do have to think about these things every single day. It's not just every now and again, it's every single day. We've got to be conscious of this and we've got to be looking after ourselves. And I mean, I didn't go to college, it was not something that I ever did, but I personally can't even imagine what it must feel like to go to class every day and, you know, be worried that you're going to miss out because you might get sick. You know, if you get gluten and you can't go to class, you can't concentrate, you're unwell and you're missing out. Like that's such an added layer of you know, that unwanted stress that you know it's hard to deal with.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it's tough, and we were kind of joking on the phone. She said you know, usually when they have events at college, they offer food because that's the way to get college students to come to events. So she said, but of course she would go and she wouldn't know if the food was safe, or maybe they said it was safe and she was questioning it, and so it's just. Again, it's a different thing. It's like she'd either have to eat beforehand or she'd have to play detective, and so it's just not this relaxing thing of, oh great, somebody's offering free food. You know, you just have to always be on guard with it and that's. You know, that's tough, I mean, you know, you understand.
Speaker 1:And that's it. And she'll experience that when she goes out into the you know the workforce, or whatever she chooses to do. She'll probably find that that'll be the next challenge. And you know she's got to educate those people and you know exactly how people talk to about it. It's just, it's just one thing after another, isn't it? And it's just another step in the journey.
Speaker 2:Yes, and that that makes me think of something else we talked about, which was how she figured out you know who her best friends were, and she said there's a lot of people who don't want to really hear you know if. If you say you have celiac or food restrictions, they want to tell you oh well, my aunt's gluten free, but she can eat this, or right, right. And so she said, finding people who are willing to listen and learn, and then, like her good friends, they actually they're on the lookout. Now they go to the store and they're like, oh, this is something Sydney can eat, and so it's like they've provided this extra layer of protection that she doesn't even have to do when she's around them, and so that has been such a blessing to her. I mean, they are just the sweetest.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I'm a big believer in really just capturing those people and keeping them close, because they are the ones that make life easier and make you feel safe and make you feel loved. And I've got a beautiful group of friends that on the same I can go to their house and I can feel completely safe. And you know one one couple that we're really close to. When I first got diagnosed with celiac disease, it was almost like they'd been diagnosed as well. They cleaned out their fridge and they bought all their sources and condiments gluten free so that if I came around I could eat their food. It was just mind blowing. I felt so loved when that happened. So I totally get what Sydney's saying about having those people keeping them close, because they make life a lot easier, they make the experience so much safe and they're happy to make gluten free meals.
Speaker 2:You know all of they all make gluten free meals for her and for them and they're like well, we would probably make it gluten free anyway, so why not? They've said we don't want her to feel excluded and it's like you know that is a mother's dream to hear that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yes.
Speaker 2:It's just you know, and so rare really, and rare and special.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like when you hear stories like that and you just kind of go, yeah, it's not, it's really not that hard. But then so many people say they're excluded. Their family, you know, speak mean to them, they say they can just have a little bit of gluten or, you know, their friends don't invite them out, and things like that. So it is actually so special to find those people. It's yeah, it is really a game changer.
Speaker 2:It is and she says you know, it's really about empathy and there are friends who she's still friends with them, but she knows they just don't have that layer of empathy Because and she gets it they haven't experienced it, they just don't know. So, yeah, I'm glad she's not it comes with age as well.
Speaker 1:Like I find that, you know, the more people that I speak to and the more people that I support, you can see that that empathy from others does come with time and some people have to go through experiences for themselves or, you know, with their children or someone that they care for before they truly get it. You know.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly. Well, one thing I asked Sydney after she kind of went through the difficulties of her freshman year. I said how did you survive? And she said there were three things. The number one was she had to have a car so she could leave campus, get what she needed. And her school did not allow freshmen to have cars, but her teacher or her doctor wrote a letter and she fought for it and she was able to get the accommodation of a car.
Speaker 1:Excellent, good tip.
Speaker 2:But number two was having good snacks in her dorm room, because she said even if she went to the cafeteria, the dining hall, she would come back hungry because there just were not very many choices. There was, in fact, there was only dessert one time that she could have and the whole time she's been at college they had one safe package dessert. So having snacks very important. And then number three, and she said this is actually number one, which is what we were talking about surrounding herself with good people who are supportive and understanding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, perfect. They are three wonderful tips. I appreciate Sydney sharing that with us. That's fantastic. You have to give her a big hug. And I thank you for me.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're so welcome, Belinda. Thank you for wanting to hear about it. It's fun to talk about it.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's one of those things it's hard to share and teach on when you haven't experienced it yourself. So it is wonderful to hear Sydney's perspective and learn from her, and it will help others as well, which is wonderful. Is there anything else that she spoke with you that you wanted to share with us today, or?
Speaker 2:Let me just scroll up some notes here. I well, I don't know if you want to talk about this, but college always involves drinking, partying, and I asked her how did your celiac affect that? And she said for her it was not that big a deal. She said once she figured out the canned drinks that she could have like hard seltzers some people drink gluten-free beer or a drink at a bar. Once she turned 21, she could go to bars. Like she learned the particular drink that was safe for her. Then she would just do it, but until like she couldn't go to a regular party and have the punch. And she did say in the beginning she, you know it's a little nerve-wracking because if you drink a little bit then you're a little looser and you might do something that you regret.
Speaker 1:So just another thing to be aware of Definitely you kind of lose sight of what you'd normally be. You know your radar's checking for and looking out for, so that makes a lot of sense here, yeah definitely. Yeah, lots of challenges, lots of things to look out for, but it sounds like she's been doing amazing and will go on and do amazing things as well.
Speaker 2:I think so, I think so. It's funny. In talking with her I thought maybe I should write in another book a follow-up. So, and it's funny she also was like, yeah, that'd be great, mom, whereas when she was in middle school and high school she wasn't wild about the fact that I was writing a book about her experiences. But now she totally gets it and she's like this'll really help other people and it's so sweet just to see her maturing in that way and being supportive.
Speaker 2:I have a little list of seven things if you want to hear them, like just tips for if you're going off to college. The first one is reach out and make contact with others, like make an appointment with the college nutritionist or the dietitian, get to know the head chef's staff in the dining hall. And you probably want to go when it's quiet, and that's actually number two scope out the scene, go when it's quiet, when the lines aren't long, so you can really see. Sydney said there are little tags that they put on the gluten-free food, but it took her a while to figure out what the tags meant because I guess they have different colors and stuff. Number three, which we've mentioned before create an emergency stash in your room, so you've always got it on hand.
Speaker 2:Number four is educate your friends. It's not always easy to talk about your condition, especially if these are all new people that you're meeting, but if you can do it little by little, and then the people who are understanding will rise to the top and you'll know who your real friends are. Number five is prepare for parties, which means usually you have a snack beforehand and if it's going to be a party with alcohol, you probably want to bring your own. That, you know, is safe. Number six and this was a really important one, because so many people try to tell you this is OK to eat Trust your instincts. You're the one who has celiac. You've lived with it for, however many years. They are just offering their opinion and they don't necessarily know.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:And number seven is treat yourself, and that's you know if and when you can go out to a place that's safe, that you know is safe. It's a restaurant where you've been to before you know. Enjoy your meal, enjoy your friends, your family, whoever, and just take a break from the stress of college and all the things that come along with that experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, so many good tips.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks.
Speaker 1:Wonderful, that was really good.
Speaker 2:Well, good, good. I hope it will help somebody else who's, you know, getting ready to take the step.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah and do what. I think it's helpful for people, even if they're going into a new workplace. I think these tips are relevant for even going into a new new place of employment. It doesn't have to just speak Polish. I think that these tips can transfer over into the workplace as well. So I think it's helpful for a lot of people. So, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're so welcome and I agree. In fact, sydney had a couple of internships during two summers and she was experiencing new things each time there, because they also were not familiar with celiac, or they said they were, and they said they would provide food, but the food wasn't actually safe, and so it's. You know, same kind of thing. You have to have your radar up all the time.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely, and it's again one of those things the more we do it, the easier it gets, you know, over time. It's just, it's like anything, it's like working the muscle, it's just practice, practice, practice. It gets stronger, it gets easier. So, yeah, I think that that is, you know, it's just, we've just got to get it out there and do it, and life is much better when we experience life to its fullest. So thank you so much for your tips from Sydney today and you're so welcome.
Speaker 2:Oh, hopefully that'll happen, and thank you, belinda, just for always offering so much great information. That is not really out there enough. I just so appreciate your openness and your willingness to go into every single topic and deal with it from a celiac's perspective, really great Appreciate it. You're so welcome.
Speaker 1:All right. Well, thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode, everyone. I hope you learned some great tips from Anne and her daughter, sydney, and I look forward to talking with you again next week on the show. Take care Bye.