Wife's Battle with disease leads local man to create self-help forum at ValleyRally.com
March 10th, 2008
Source Info: The Sun, Westerly, R.I.
November 25,2007
By Gloria Russell
WESTERLY - From time immemorial there have been frustrated people at the point of declaring, "Nobody understands me. Nobody knows what I'm going through!" And to a great extent those complaints were valid. For who can truly say they understand something they know nothing about?
To those who make those declarations today, Tom Chantrell has developed an on-line community where the public can air and post stories about successfully overcoming an affliction.
The motivational self-help Web site ValleyRally.com was inspired by Chantrell's wife Kristen and her struggle to cope with Celiac Disease.
He explained her chronic stomach pain existed when they began dating nearly six years ago. She had seen a gastroenterologist who said she should adjust her diet because she was eating too many fruits and vegetables.
"We were a little frustrated by that diagnosis since I was eating the same proportion of fruits and vegetables as she, yet had no stomach problems."
As the problems increased to the point where he couldn't give her a hug when he got home from work, Chantrell urged her to again seek medical attention.
"After many tests over the span of a few months, the diagnosis came on a little post card in the mail," Chantrell recalled. "Kristen was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in December 2003."
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. Long-term effects of untreated Celiac Disease include Anemia, infertility, Osteoporosis, and intestinal cancer. Currently, there are no cures for Celiac Disease but lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet will eliminate all symptoms and allow the damaged intestine to completely heal.
Researchers have discovered a treatment that is 100-percent effective, Chantrell said, but noted gluten, or wheat, is in most American foods.
"Any foods containing flour cannot be eaten, although there are other foods that are off limits, too. It is an extremely difficult diet to follow, and drastically impacts your everyday life," he said.
He noted the self-help Web site launched in January is not just a site for those coping with Celiac Disease. "It is a site for anyone who is struggling through a problem."
Chantrell said there are discussion forums, blogs, and email for users to ask questions and exchange suggestions - in an effort to show others that "nothing is impossible."
"Many users have told me they love the site because it allows them to meet and chat with people who are going through the same problem."
Confidants discuss efforts to quit smoking, coping with hypoglycemia, struggling through college, managing eating disorders, changing careers, overcoming cancer, and living with lupus.
"Currently, there are over 150 success stories posted about many different topics," Chantrell said.
"The mission of Valley Rally is to provide success stories for every possible struggle someone could have. We want to give people a place to go and find hope and encouragement that they can get through their problems, no matter how difficult they are."
