About Susan Wendt, Founder of Kitchen Tasties |
Susan was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (CD) as an adult in 1994.
Susan suffered with symptoms of CD in her childhood years. As her complaints of stomach aches
became more and more frequent, her parents began to brush them off as attempts to stay home
from school. At this time, no one knew that it was gluten, found in such things as the cereal,
pancakes, or toast that her mom made her for breakfast each morning, that was the real culprit of
her stomach problems. In addition, Susan began showing signs of an intolerance to lactose, which
is a common side effect of untreated CD.
As years went by, Susan was plagued with abdominal cramps, intestinal gas, distention, bloating,
constipation and anemia. Matters became much worse in 1987 after she gave birth to twins. Susan
often found herself feeling fatigued, depressed and not having much energy.
After consulting with a gastroenterologist and undergoing tests; ulcers, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
and Crohn's Disease were ultimately ruled out. Determined to discover the cause of her constant
discomfort, Susan decided to seek the opinion of a second gastroenterologist. This doctor
suggested doing a procedure known as an endoscopy. This would enable the doctor to see what
was going on in her small intestines and to take a biopsy.
The procedure takes less than 30 minutes. Biopsy results concluded that Susan suffered from
Celiac Disease. Finally, there was a name for the condition that had left Susan so miserable and
uncomfortable for so many years. Susan learned there was no medication for Celiac Disease.
Eliminating all wheat, rye, oats and barley from her diet was the only way to treat this disease.
These grains produce gluten and are toxic to a person with CD. This meant giving up some of her
favorite foods, such as pizza, bagels, cake and pretzels. Not liking the gluten-free products that
were on the market, Susan constantly cheated on her diet. She did not realize the harmful impact
cheating made on her small intestines.
Early in 2006, Susan was diagnosed with adenocarcenoma (cancer) of the small intestines. It is a
very rare cancer, believed to have been caused by her years of eating foods containing gluten,
which ultimately damaged her small intestines. After undergoing surgery to remove a portion
of her small intestines, Susan is doing well.
As a result of her experience, Susan's mission is to provide a tasty variety of gluten-free baked
goods for people with Celiac Disease to enjoy. Cheating is not an option.
| Baked Especially For You - Wheat Free, Gluten Free |
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"When a gluten-free diet is your only option!"
