LOCH SHELDRAKE – Tri-Valley senior and standout golfer Kaylee Poppo recently participated in a fundraiser to raise money for the Celiac Disease Foundation.

The non-profit raises money to hopefully find a cure, conduct studies, advocate for those who are newly diagnosed and spread the word so they can help people who are having symptoms, and catch it before it’s too late. 

Kaylee’s plan was to do a golf marathon where she would play as many holes as she could in one day and get people to pledge money per hole she played. She was able to get over 20 people to sponsor her and even more gave a flat amount. 

Kaylee was able to play 102 holes during the day at Lochmor Golf Course in Loch Sheldrake. She started around 9 a.m. due to a frost warning and finished at 6 p.m due to fatigue. Her goal was 90 holes but wanted to show that she could push through the exhaustion and decided to do 12 more holes, completing 102. 

What is Celiac Disease? 

Celiac Disease is a genetic autoimmune disease that causes the villi in your small intestines to get demolished when consuming gluten. The villi are tiny, finger-like projections that absorb nutrients as food goes through your digestive tract. 

When someone with Celiac eats gluten, the villi flatten and are unable to function properly. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, rashes, malnutrition, extreme fatigue, and hundreds of other symptoms that are still being studied. It can also cause various mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. If untreated with a fully gluten-free diet and in some cases, medicine to restore nutrient deficiencies, it can lead to illnesses such as different types of cancers, type 1 diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriages, and other conditions such as stated on The Celiac Disease Foundation page. 

Kaylee thanks Lochmor Golf Course, Taylor and Geoff Walsh, and all of the people that supported her through donations and positive words of encouragement.