Finally. Bast was relieved to have something specific to pursue on her next doctor's visit. A simple blood test showed she did indeed have the disease, an allergy to the protein contained in wheat, rye, and barley.
Why, Bast thought, had she not heard of celiac before, and why hadn't all those doctors she had seen?
"The blood test had always been available," Bast said, sighing. She had suffered so much emotional and physical pain. "But nobody seemed to know about it."
Bast did not stop with getting relief for herself. Her struggle informed a much bigger pursuit - improving conditions for the nation's three million celiac sufferers. She started the nonprofit National Foundation for Celiac Awareness in 2003.
For her efforts in behalf of the larger community, Bast, 50, of Chestnut Hill, has been named the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Philadelphia Award. She will be presented the award, and its $25,000 prize, on May 17.
"Alice Bast is truly a role model for young people," said Susan Sherman, who chairs the board of the Philadelphia Award. "Her story is about grabbing on to an issue and persevering. She's been almost a one-man band for so long."
While other celiac organizations do vital work for patients, Bast has gone further. She was the first to create online courses giving continuing medical-education credit for primary-care physicians.
And though she does not claim to have single-handedly created the surge in public interest in gluten-free foods, Bast did convince many food-industry executives that there was a growing market for new products.
"She brought the concept of what a celiac advocacy group should be doing to a whole new level," said Daniel Leffler of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard University.
Bast said she had cried when told of the award.
