Nancy is pictured above with her children in El Escorial, Spain.

Home of The Gluten Free Yellow Pages and Many Waves of Grain Business Network. The Celiac Site aims to be a portal through which the Gluten Free community can network existing systems. The Celiac Site hopes to let those on a gluten free diet know all of the options that they have in keeping gluten free. If one Gluten Free Business succeeds then there will be more opportunities, services, and products available for the entire community. And until there is a cure we welcome all the big and little successes.

Nancy Baker, the Executive Director of The Celiac Site, has the typical American Celiac story. It placed her in grave condition, twice!  She suffered for years from mysterious illnesses; migraines, lack of growth of tendons during puberty, premature osteoporosis, a difficult pregnancy, a horrible delivery, with a child born without his soft spots in his head, most likely caused by in-utero malnutrition.  She was tested for every ailment under the sun to no avail, and quite by accident suffering at barely 90 pounds in the hospital, was found to have Celiac Disease. She was diagnosed with Lupus the same year and with proper medication and diet her health blossomed.   However, she was left with permanent physical damage, which among other things led her towards building her family through adoption. 

Nancy’s young son developed well with the help of fine doctors.  After Nancy’s diagnosis, she realized that her young son was genetically predisposed to the disease and although completely asymptomatic, he tested positive on all levels to an immune reaction to gluten. He asked Nancy to find a cure. While neither a doctor nor scientist, she felt that as a teacher, she could use education as a vehicle to place money in the hands of those who might be able to find a way that her little boy could feel cured.  She then began her philanthropic dot com.

Although personally affected by the disease.  The amount of insurance money and personal money spent on a relatively easy diagnosis was absurd.  In fact the average time to find diagnosis is over 11 years.  This must somehow affect our economy through lost time at both school and work.  Who can well function when they are malnourished? 

Although unable to carry any more children, that didn’t stop Nancy for being a mother.  She and her husband went on to adopt two children from former communist countries.  Upon custody of her daughter, Nancy found out completely coincidentally, that the genetic mother also had lupus.  And even more serendipitous, when Nancy observed certain symptoms in he middle son, she had him tested for gluten insensitivity. He tested positive and has improved immensely on a gluten free diet.  He does not come from an ethnic group considered to be at risk for the disease. He in fact is the most sensitive to cross contamination. 

Inspired by life’s events rather than crippled by them, she hopes to use her training in education to train the public about Celiac Disease and certain individuals’ insensitivities to gluten.  And so The Celiac Site moves forward to coordinate gluten-free resources and influence awareness through the good old American marketplace!

Some people call it a terrible story, some luck, we call it Providence. 

About the Globally Gluten Free Logo: When diagnosed the doctor asked if Nancy was Irish - since it was his understanding that the disease ran in the Irish genes. She said yes. The Irish symbol of the The Claddagh with the hands of love, the crown of loyalty, and the hands of friendship holding the international gluten free symbol reflects the spirit and contents of this book and website. The celtic fonts and buttons in the book were donated for this project by www.aon-cari.com.

A portion of the profits gained from advertising and affiliate services will be donated to:

The Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland.