MEET THE 6 MOMS
Karla Orlaska
Karla was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis 12 years ago. She is the mother of a 16 year old teenage girl diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 13. We are in remission We started SCD 3 years ago together. Learning to cherish the small things in life and focusing on what you can do instead of what you can't do! For fun, please check out my teenager at @isabellaorlsk on TikTok. Please feel at ease to contact Karla at: karlex00@yahoo.com (English, Spanish, Portuguese)
Rachel Sullivan
Our daughter, Age 14, was diagnosed with Crohn's in August 2020. Our healing story has been, and continues to be, an experience for the entire family; we're in this together. We each have our own struggles and triumphs and we are working on healing everyday. Our daughter is the strongest, bravest, most beautifully healthy girl I know. She inspires me to be the mom she needs and deserves. We have been choosing to heal with the Specific Carbohydrate Diet since Sept. 2020. I am honored to share our story with you! My goal is to be that 3:00 a.m. story you find when you need someone to tell you, "It's going to be Okay! We are all worthy of health and happiness and you will find it again!!"
Anessa
Anessa is the mother and advocate of her 15 year old son who was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 11. The gut instinct of a mothers intuition led her on a journey of research, all-nighters, and speaking with doctors across the country, to a discovery of the miracle of the SCD diet. And now with much determination, her brave son went from crisis condition to deep remission. Her goal here today is to be a voice to those struggling, and to let you know that you are not alone. There is a way to heal from the inside out and she is here to guide you through it. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. anessamcll@gmail.com
Pujal Patel
Our hero, our daughter 15, was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2016 at 9 years of age, after six months of deteriorating health and two weeks of hospital stay. Born with anaphylactic food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, soy, seeds, seafood etc. Crohn's diagnosis came as another blow. She struggled with extreme levels of inflammation and chronic pain until we as a family decided to start her own specific carbohydrate diet from the “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” book. Thank you to my husband for finding this diet! It worked like magic, putting her in remission and giving us our daughter back, healthy, happy, thriving, and living life like a 15-year-old should live. She is the epitome of resilience and perseverance, a girl who never gives up because to her – “It's all about attitude"! Come join us to listen to her trailblazer story and journey towards finding light at the end of the long dark tunnel. And I am lucky to be the mom of this amazing kid ( I feel and always think she was born to me, so I could learn a thing or two about life). Please follow our Journey on our Facebook page - healinginflammation Instagram- @healinginflammation TikTok- @healinginflammation Website (WIP)- http://www.healinginflammation.com
Amanda Vasquez
Amanda Vasquez is the mom of three boys. Her youngest son was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of four. Amanda learned about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) while her son was in the hospital and beginning Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN) therapy. After the completion of EEN, her son began the SCD diet and has had incredibly successful results. Having a child with a chronic illness can be challenging, tiring, and isolating. Watching your child heal with food, and having the energy to play and learn, is absolutely amazing. Amanda’s hope is to share the ups and downs of their journey and to provide support and light to those walking the same path. She also wants to stress to others that healing looks different to everyone. The SCD diet is a path less traveled, but the rewards are worth it! Please feel free to reach out with questions at amandaditomasso@yahoo.com
Celina Acosta
I am Celina Acosta, mother of Noah who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 4. Our journey to better health started with Noah’s diagnosis before ever starting medication. We jumped into nutritional therapy right away and saw immediate changes in how he felt. This motivated us to continue the course, until the reality became clear, SCD was an answered prayer. We realized that we weren’t the only ones who uncovered this inspiring truth; that food can be medicine! Noah has been in deep remission for more than 2 years and has motivated me to join the mission in SCD recognition, and promoting nutritional consciousness. We started a page on Instagram to support the SCD community and share Noah’s journey @OurGutFeeling. A mothers nature is to protect and provide for her child. SCD empowers a mom to do just that, but it’s up to us collectively to offer that hope to as many families as possible.
Future speakers
Dr. Benjamin Gold, MD
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
- President, North American Society For Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (NASPGHAN)
- Pediatric Gastroenterologist, GI Care for Kids
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
- IM/Gastroenterologist and Lead Gastroenterologist, IBD Pregnancy Program, Cedars Sinai
Dr. Joshua Korzenik, MD
Dr. Nirupama Bonthala, MD
Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, MD
- Director, Crohn's Colitis Center
- Director, Resnek Family Center for Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital
Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, MD
Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, MD
Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, MD
- Director, Nutrition and Integrative IBD Program
- Associate Clinical Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at Cedar's Sina
Dr. Dale Lee, MD, MSCE
Dr. Eric Vasiliauskas, MD
Dr. Dale Lee, MD, MSCE
- Medical Director, Clinical Nutrition; Director of the Celiac Disease Program
- Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Seattle Children's Hospital
Past 2022 Speakers for the Series
Richard Kellermayer, MD, PhD. presented, "Microbiome 101; Could Fecal Microbiota Transplants (FMT) Cure Inflammatory Bowel Diseases?" The video presentation is available for live streaming at our SCD Video Library
Dr. Kellermayer is the director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH), Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). He is a devoted pediatric gastroenterologist striving for outstanding patient care with special interest in IBD (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis). Dr. Kellermayer is an expert in Clostridium difficile infection, and is the Medical Director of the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) program at TCH. He is a passionate researcher with focus on the microbiome and the environmental (nutritional and epigenetic) origins of IBD. Dr. Kellermayer is also an avid teacher of multiple pre-and postgraduate students, and clinical fellows.
Dr. Richard Kellermayer, MD, PhD
Dr. Ali Arjomand PhD presented, "Identifying and Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies while following the Specific Carbohydrate Diet". The video presentation is available for live streaming at our SCD Video Library
Dr. Arjomand is a scientist and entrepreneur with a successful 20 year track record developing, leading and growing scalable programs and impactful ventures across multiple health sectors. He is the Founder and CEO of Modulla Health Nutrition Clinic, a GI focused nutrition clinic serving patients living with IBD or other chronic GI conditions. Dr. Arjomand is a fervent champion of diet-based interventions, especially the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), which ultimately reversed his own long-standing severe Crohn’s disease. Aside from supporting IBD patients with SCD education and implementation, Dr. Arjomand also collects SCD clinical and outcomes data for presentation and publication within the medical communities to support wider acceptance of SCD. Dr Arjomand serves as a Board Member for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet Association since 2020.
Dr. Ali Arjomand, PhD
Dr. Marci Hardy, PhD presented, "Navigating the Healthcare System to advocate for you and your loved ones" by . The video presentation is available for live streaming at our SCD Video Library
Dr. Hardy is an experienced Health Director and college faculty member with a demonstrated history of working in academia, and the DTC genetics and lab testing, healthcare, wellness, and fitness industries. She has expertise in evaluating and translating research into relevant and understandable content for patient education materials and reports, white papers, blog posts, infographics, website content, social media posts, eCourses, lecture materials, and curriculum development. Also, Dr. Hardy blends her professional background with her lived experience as a patient and caregiver to train others on patient advocacy and successfully navigating the healthcare system. Dr. Hardy is a strong business development professional with a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Exercise Science and a Ph.D. in Health Education and Health Promotion (minors in Nutrition Education and Statistical and Research Methods), both from the University of Alabama.
Dr. Marci Hardy, PhD
Dr. David Suskind, MD presented, "Nutrition in Immune Balance: Learnings from Inflammatory Bowel Disease" The video presentation will be available for live streaming at our SCD Video Library
Dr. Suskind, MD is Director of Clinical Gastroenterology at Seattle Children's Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. An expert in intestinal diseases, Dr. Suskind has focused much of his energy into clinical care and research for inflammatory bowel disease.
He is leading a national effort to integrate nutritional therapy into clinical care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease and to studying the effect of dietary therapy in inflammatory bowel disease. He believes in patient and family empowerment through medical education.
Dr. David Suskind, MD
Victoria Grancarich presented, "SCD and Autism-behavior is communication. Healing the gut is critical" by The video presentation will be available for live streaming at our SCD Video Library.
Victoria Grancarich is the mother of a young adult with Autism and comorbid medical issues. She has worked tirelessly throughout his life to ease his symptoms and improve the quality of his life. She will be sharing the story of how SCD has been a positive change for her son and the whole family.
Victoria Grancarich