Comic panel of a group of friends having pizza and beer.

I created a four-panel comic for the Food-themed issue of the Nib Magazine. Although I could write pages and pages on living with my obnoxious food allergies, I chose to focus on one aspect: the fact that Celiac disease is considered a disability in the United States. My diagnosis (a fraught topic of its own!) changed my life, mostly for the better, but it continues to be a journey to advocate for myself and accept my body’s limitations.

Four panel cartoon. Panel 1: Theora in grocery store aisle with caption "Six years after doctors' orders to never eat gluten, oats or cow milk, I learned that Celiac disease is considered a disability. Panel 2: Theora in foreground with a table full of friends eating pizza and beer. Caption: "I never want to be difficult when ordering, but if I don't ask, the only person who suffers is me...(and sometimes even if I do ask). Theora looks down at a salad, thinking "This salad has croutons and cheese." Panel 3: Theora curled in fetal position in bed. Caption: "Framing my condition as a disability has empowered me to advocate for myself more and blame myself less." Theora speech bubble "Down with diet hegemony!". Panel 4: Theora giving presentation at work, pointing to a web layout and saying "This web interface must be accessible to screen readers.". Caption: "It makes me feel more committed to advocating for others whose bodies also don't match society's assumptions."

I’m proud to have my work in this issue filled with interesting comics journalism and personal stories about food! Thank you to editors Matt Bors and Eleri Harris. You can find the comic on The Nib website here.