Today host Dylan Dreyer, 41, has opened up about her six-year-old son Calvin Bradley Fichera’s celiac disease diagnosis, telling fans that he had been complaining of excruciating stomach pain for over a year before receiving his diagnosis.
Dreyer opened up to Today and People, as well as her own Instagram account, about her son’s diagnosis, and revealed how their entire family have changed their eating habits to accommodate the autoimmune condition. Dreyer revealed that the family all follow a gluten free diet, and even take extra precautions such as replacing cookware to avoid cross-contamination.
What Is Celiac Disease?
According to the National Celiac Association, as per USA Today, “Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that is genetic and primarily impacts the gastrointestinal tract when gluten is consumed.” Gluten is a protein that can be found in things like wheat, rye and barley, for example, and if someone with celiac disease ingests that protein, the lining of the small intestine could be damaged.
Symptoms of celiac disease include cramping, amenorrhea, bloating, brain fog, canker sores, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, infertility, headaches and rash, among other things. As things stand, the only available treatment is to stick to a gluten-free diet.
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Dylan Dreyer Talks About Her Son's Diagnosis
The Today third-hour co-host revealed to Today "there was one time the pain was so bad that we thought maybe he had something like his appendix burst. He was hunched over in pain." Dreyer then revealed in a May 24th Today interview that after going to the emergency room several times, his "bloodwork came back with the results of him having celiac disease." She also confessed, "I knew nothing about celiac disease. I knew a friend of a friend had it, and she couldn't eat bread. That's basically the knowledge I had."
Dreyer also went into more detail about receiving the diagnosis in an interview with People, saying that his diagnosis finally came after he was "constantly complaining of stomach pain every day." She said: "I'd ask him, 'What does it feel like?' and he'd say sharp pain, and this was going on for months and months." This then led to Dylan and her husband Brian Fichera to take their oldest son to the emergency room on quite a few occasions, and was ultimately diagnosed with the disease after having an endoscopy.
"They had to do an endoscopy, which they had to put him under for. It's just awful watching your child going under anesthesia. It's uncomfortable," Dylan also said. "You don't like seeing it. But they did the endoscopy and it turned out he has a stomach ulcer which explains his pain."
"We were very concerned because we thought it was something much more serious because of how some of the results came back," she continued, before saying that they were sure it was celiac disease after antibiotics didn't help. "You start Googling and thinking the worst, so when we found out it was celiac, I could say, 'OK, that's an inconvenience; it's a life change, but we can manage that.' We were very grateful," she added.
She also touched on the disease on her Instagram account on May 24th, saying: "Thank you for listening to my story about Calvin’s celiac disease diagnosis. I talked with @people about it in more detail. It’s been a journey but we’re figuring it all out! It’s like nothing to Calvin at this point… he feels better and I’m making sure he’s eating delicious food. That’s all I can ask for!"
Fans Show Support Online
As expected, many fans lent their support to Dylan and the family in the Instagram comments of her post, as well as the comments section of a YouTube video of the Today segment where she discussed the disease.
"From one momma of a celiac (foodie) child to another, thank you Dylan, for helping to spread celiac awareness!" wrote one fan on Instagram. "I was emotional as I watched Calvin talk about how celiac disease made him feel. It is all is so familiar to us. Here’s to cooking lots of delicious gluten free foods with one another!" Another said: "Thank you so much for helping get the word out about this serious autoimmune disease!" "Thank You for sharing about Cal," added another, followed by a blue heart emoji, adding, "I am so happy that he is feeling better!"
"Thank you for sharing your story and spreading the word about celiac disease. I know how challenging that can be to hear that news as a mom," another fan wrote on YouTube. "I value so much when they share a real case from their crew. Thank you so much," commented another.
"Glad this vid points out that celiac disease is very serious, and not the same as gluten sensitivity. Great to see Dylan's son feeling so much better," said another supportive fan, while another shared their own story, writing: "My celiac was diagnosed after it was discovered I had not only anemia but also bone density loss which my doc thought was odd as I wasn't in menopause yet. But this is what happens when you can't properly absorb vitamin D or iron for example. Glad that Dylan's son is on the mend."
