Deborah's Background....

Deborah suffered from severe allergies to pollen, flowers, and milk from birth, and added sensitivities to other things along the way. Growing up with allergies affected her childhood significantly. Many times she couldn't run or even stay outdoors, and she was put on major medications just so she could breath like "normal" people.

In 2003, Deborah was diagnosed with celiac disease, which is an autoimmune condition that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate the protein gluen that is found in wheat, rye, and barley, according to the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA). The president of the CSA told Deborah that she was most likely suffering from celiac disease from birth, but because of the lack of knowledge about this condition in the United States, she was not diagnosed until she was much older.

Because of her lifelong struggle in coping with allergies, Deborah is dedicated to helping increase the public's awareness about allergies. She has developed several products and tools to help make their lives simpler, and hopes these things will help simplify and streamline their day-to-day routines for themselves, their families, and friends.

Her ultimate business mission is to use her limitations to help her live a productive and healthy life, and therefore help other people with limitations do the same. "It's not about what you can't have, " she says, "It's about what you can have."

Facts about allergies and asthma (from the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America)

__ Asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism in the United States, and there are 14.6 million missed days of school a year and 14.5 missed days of work.

__Asthma kills approximately 5,000 people a year in the United States.

__Allergies are the most frequently reported chronic condition in U.S. children, limiting activities for more than 40% of them.

__Each year in the U.S., allergies account for more than 17 million outpatient office visits and food allergies account for 30,000 visits to the emergency room.

__The annual cost of allergies in the U.S. is estimated to be nearly $7 billion. For adults, allergies are the fifth leading chronic disease and major cause of work absenteeism, resulting in a total cost of more than $700 million in total lost productivity.

Facts about celiac (compiled from the Celiac Society of America, the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, and other web sources):

__One out of every 133 Americans is affected with celiac disease; however, only 3% of these have been diagnosed. This means that there are over 2.1 million undiagnosed people with celiac disease in the United States.

__In Ireland, Italy, and the Scandinavian countries, school children are tested for celiac disease; making the management of their lives much easier should they test positive.

__There are many kinds of gluten. However, the only ones that affect a true celiace are the gluten proteins foudn in wheat, barley, or rye.

__There is no pill or miracle cure for celiac disease (however, scientists are researching a pill that would limit the damage an aaccidental gluten ingestion does to the sufferer's intestinal tract). The only "cure" is a lifelong adherence to a strict diet of gluten avoidance.