Schoolgirl wins praise for coeliac disease video

An 11-year-old girl has been praised for making a video about living with coeliac disease.

Gracie, from Droitwich, Worcestershire, created the video, posted to her mum's Facebook page, to help explain the autoimmune condition which causes her body to react to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale.

Gracie said she has to follow strict dietary rules since she was diagnosed aged two.

Her online efforts to raise awareness have been welcomed by Coeliac UK.

Her mum, Kelly, said: "Coeliac disease is normally found in adults and older children rather than children as young as what Gracie was, hence why catering for that has been a little bit more difficult.

"She doesn't use the same toaster as anybody else because she can't mix the crumbs and stuff like that.

"The cross-contamination is the hardest part. A crumb could make Gracie severely poorly."

Her daughter said she had to warn teachers and other parents about her condition.

"I learnt how to read the labels of the ingredients and stuff when I was little and that helped a lot," said Gracie.

"All my friends are sharing their food and drinks and stuff and I can't."

She said many people did not understand her condition and she made her video to raise awareness.

Coeliac UK's chief executive, Hilary Croft, said she was "impressed" with Gracie for speaking out, adding: "Only about a third of people who have it are actually diagnosed."

Croft said symptoms could range from nausea and diarrhoea to fatigue, headaches, skin rashes and even infertility in adults.

She added that eating out was difficult for many, with restaurants often offering limited options.

The charity runs a campaign each May encouraging people to seek advice from their GP if they think they might be affected.

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