HeatlandBeat.com caught up with Heartland Alum, Abbie Friesen (daughter of Carey & Jan Friesen), to find out how she is doing now. Â Friesen was a 2003 graduate and continued on to play softball and get her graphic design degree at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She now resides in Salem, Oregon where she works at Western Mennonite School. She has lived life believing and achieving through adversity to bring herself to a very successful point in her life. Friesen was diagnosed at an early age with Type 1 Diabetes which may be remedied with products like those on CBD Oil UK. She has lived with a pump for most of her life. More recently (about five years ago), she was diagnosed, again, with a disease called “Celiac” which is also an autoimmune disease. HeartlandBeat.com caught up with Friesen to see how life is:
HeartlandBeat.com: Abbie, What are you up to now?
Friesen: I currently reside in the Pacific Northwest, in the capital city of Salem, Oregon. Almost four years ago, after graduating from college, I moved here to work as a Dorm Leader at Western Mennonite School (WMS is basically the only Mennonite middle school and high school on the West coast). During the two years I worked in the dorm, my sister, Andrea Wall, got my foot in the door to becoming the school’s Marketing and Communications Coordinator (my current position). She used my graphic design skills for the school while she was in charge of the Advancement Office. Today I wear many hats at work: graphic design, website and social media management, publications, advertising, basic public relations, logo wear and photography/videography. (To see a little of what I do, go to www.facebook.com/westernmennoniteschool.) Also, the last three years, I have helped coach the high school softball team in the spring.
HB: When did you find out you had Celiac or “Gluten-Free”?
Friesen: My junior year of college (age 21), I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I discovered that I had been suffering from its effects since 8th grade, when I began having migraines. Once diagnosed, I quickly learned that I could no longer eat food that contained or had touched wheat, oats, barley and rye. Celiac is an autoimmune disease that considers the protein in these grains (gluten) to be toxic to my body. There is no cure for Celiac except to eat a gluten free diet.
HB: What was your reaction?
Friesen: Sadness. That I now had another chronic illness, and that life was going to be even more challenging. I was tired of the stress of making extra efforts to take care of a body that I felt should be able to play sports, eat like a college student and be alert when I wanted it to be. Thankfully my faith was strong, so I clung to God for the hope of my future that I didn’t have.
HB: How have you had to adjust your lifestyle?
Friesen: After seeing a dietitian, I began cutting out food containing gluten – baked goods, breads, cereals, pastas… Since then, I have had to learn to be assertive in restaurants in knowing what is in food and to explain to cooks that even the cooking surface must be scrubbed clean of all food. I have to take gluten free food with me wherever I go (i.e. work, gatherings, road trips…) in case I get low (from diabetes) or in case there is no food I can safely eat. I have learned how much our culture revolves around food, celebrating birthdays with cake, enjoying potlucks at church, sharing snacks while hanging out. On the flip side, I have learned to enjoy healthy foods and have fun cooking them – my own little adventure!
HB: What’s your favorite gluten-free recipe?
Friesen: Now there’s a fun question! This year I started finding exciting recipes and trying out foods that I didn’t typically eat. Some of my favorite gluten free recipes include: Skinny Omelet, Cashew Crusted Chicken, Cherry Coffee Cake, Stir Fry and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. My goals now are to eat more fruits and vegetables, as well as tea!
Skinny Omelet (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/skinny-omelette-recipe.html)
(the recipe link includes other ingredients, but this is how I make it)
2 large eggs
a tiny pinch of fine grain sea salt
some black and red pepper
a bit of feta
a small handful of mixed salad greens
Use a fork to beat the eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Beat well, until the eggs are mostly uniform in color – they seem to run around the pan more evenly when there aren’t huge patches of yolk vs. whites.
In your largest non-stick skillet over medium heat, pour the egg mixture and give it a good swirl so that they spread out thinly across the entire pan. Alternately, you can use a crepe pan or crepe maker. Let the egg mixture set, this happens quickly depending on the heat of your pan – 15 seconds to one minute. Run a spatula underneath the omelet and slide it out of the pan (flat) onto a countertop, large cutting board or Silpat-line cookie sheet. Do this with confidence (or practice). Sprinkle with feta and salad greens. Starting with one end, roll the omelet away from you. Cut in half on a deep diagonal. Season with a bit more salt if needed.
Serves one or two.
HB: What is it like being Diabetic & gluten-free? What type of challenges does that present?
Friesen: I find that having two chronic illnesses is frustrating if I don’t consider taking care of and monitoring them a priority. I have to constantly make mental adjustments to accept that I have them. For example, one of the biggest struggles for me now is to take necessary precautions to not get overly stressed, which is difficult considering my workload. When I get stressed, my diabetes gets out of control, which causes me to not want to eat healthy and cook, and while I don’t eat gluten, not eating healthy foods does not give me the energy my run-down body needs. I can spiral down quickly into unhealthy patterns and habits. I’ve found that I cannot push myself like I did when I was in high school and college, that I am successful when I live a balanced life at work, when eating, with activities and rest. As long as I consider taking care of these illnesses a priority, I will feel the best I can and be at peace about having them.
