[Image Description: black and white comic featuring the cartoon fursona of the artist.
“hi, happy disability pride month! i want to talk about celiac disease.“ The artist gestures excitedly. / “in 2019, my doc found celiac in my blood-work. an endoscopy in 2020 confirmed it:” A doctor in a lab coat says: “you have celiac disease.” The artist, wearing a mask, is confused: “???” “he said, "don't eat bread, you'll be fine!" sounds easy enough...” / “but i was confused! i had no dietary issues, or classic symptoms of celiac disease. bread doesn't even make me sick. so i started to research.” The artist sighs wearily: “turns out,"don't eat bread" is just the start.”
“celiac is not an allergy. it's an autoimmune disorder. when my guts are exposed to gluten, they activate an immune response...” A row of cilia, pictured as long bumps with faces, are approached by a gluten molecule. The cilia closest to it looks unhappy and says: “hey uhhhh mods???” / “...which, in turn, destroys my intestines.” The immune system, pictured as a hand with a canned spray, is spraying the cilia as it screams. / “this reaction occurs when exposed to ANY AMOUNT of gluten. a crumb of a crumb can cause weeks or months of the following:” A cartoon person is folded on itself in pain. “- vomiting, nausea, diarrhea - severe pain - alopecia/hair loss - brain fog - rash - depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts (yes, really!) - flare-ups of other conditions”
“but it's not that hard to avoid, right? just don't eat bread!” The artist chuckles. A dramatic close up of the artist’s face: “WRONG.” / “gluten is in everything. it's used to ferment food and drink, as a binder in makeup and medication, in flavor and color...” Doodles of various bottles and jars of whiskey, soy sauce, oats, nuts, lipstick and pills. “...even non-glutenous foods, like nuts, oats, spices, and quinoa, are often cross-contaminated in manufacturing.” / “gluten-free substitutes for bread products are hard to find. they're usually smaller, drier, and less tasty. they're always more expensive.” The weary artist hands someone offscreen a dollar bill. “when the store actually stocks them, that is. and don't get me started on labeling!”
A boxed text: “wait, but i thought you had no symptoms?” The artist gestures with alarm. “i don't! but gluten exposure still puts me at risk of bowel cancer and other autoimmune disorders later in life. also, i could develop symptoms at any time, with no warning!” / “for me, the most disabling aspect of celiac is social. food is no longer a spontaneous joy. i cook virtually everything i eat myself.” The artist is standing far away from a group of people. “i can't grab a premade sandwich, or fast food. i can only eat at about 2% of restaurants. i can never enjoy a friend's home cooking. traveling is always a hungry nightmare.” / “luckily, i'm used to it now! i hope you learned something about celiac from this comic. it's suspected that as many as 1/100 people have celiac and are never diagnosed. i'm lucky that i was, and that i found education outside of my doctor. so remember!” The artist hovers closer to the reader. “IF YOU MAKE JOKES ABOUT GLUTEN FREE SNOWFLAKES I CAN LEGALLY KILL YOU”
End ID.]
