Indiana Couple Injects $45-Million Into U. of Md. Celiac Center

A former patient of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research has steered $45-million to the facility to seek new treatments for the autoimmune condition, The Baltimore Sun writes.

Shelia Cafferty and her husband, Ken, an Indiana mining executive, donated $5-million to the Baltimore institution and secured an additional $40-million through a foundation that they declined to name.

Celiac disease, an often-misdiagnosed condition, causes a sensitivity to gluten, a common protein. After years of suffering from gastrointestinal distress and rashes, Ms. Cafferty sought help from the Maryland center’s director, Alessio Fasano, who diagnosed her with another problem caused by gluten rather than celiac.

The Caffertys said they wanted the money to help raise awareness of celiac disease as well as to search for a cure. “There are a lot of people like me, not getting answers,” Ms. Cafferty said.