Hi! We are the Wieting family from Lincoln, Nebraska. We, Sean and Arica, have been married 20 years and have been blessed with three amazing children. Avery, 17, is entering his senior year of high school this fall. Alix, 14, is entering her freshman year of high school and Aliya, 9, will be in 4th grade.  

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In late summer of 2015, just before Aliya was turning two, she had some horribly loose stools for about 6-8 weeks. After finding out she was initially exposed to strep, we took her to the doctor to get tested for that. When that test came back negative and the stools continued, we contacted the doctor again and began taking stool samples into the doctor’s office for more tests. Once we had tested for Salmonella, Giardia, E-Coli, etc. over the course of six weeks, Arica finally asked for an ultrasound, x-ray, or blood work to determine the underlying cause of the continued diarrhea. The week before Aliya’s second birthday, the doctor himself called Arica and said that Aliya had tested positive for Celiac Disease. Arica’s first question was, “Will she outgrow that?” Once the doctor said no, it was an Autoimmune Disorder, they talked more about it on the phone, then Arica and Sean immediately went to work doing research about Celiac. Unsure of what her new diet would look like, Aliya ended up having Fruity Pebbles for dinner her first night, and her first solid stool 36 hours after diagnosis. She has now been on a strictly gluten free diet for almost 8 years now.

 

Once we adjusted a little to Aliya’s new diet, we were all tested to see if anyone else in our family had Celiac Disease. Sean, Avery, and Alix’s tests came back negative, but Arica’s numbers came back elevated, even though she was asymptomatic. So, the doctor recommended a gluten free diet/lifestyle for her as well. Currently, Arica and Aliya eat gluten free, while the remainder of the family continue to eat foods containing gluten. This is partially due to the cost of gluten free food, Arica and Aliya’s sensitivity level, and the fact that we are all very careful of cross-contact.