Courageous Little Leaguer Defies the Odds and Inspires Other Gluten Intolerant Kids.....

Williamsport, PA- The eyes of the nation, and certainly the media, may be focused on female pitching phenom Mo'Ne Davis during this year's Little League World Series, but millions of gluten intolerant children around the world are drawing inspiration from an unlikely source. Grill Abernathy, right fielder for the Cumberland American team from Rhode Island, has suffered from an intolerance to wheat, barley and rye since the age of 9. But this .280 slugger from Cranston has ignored the advice of his doctors and the concerns of his friends and family, choosing to risk his health and serve as a beacon of hope for the afflicted.

Gluten sensitive right fielder Grill Abernathy, mere moments before mixing up his homemade gluten free hot dog bun with one from the concession stand and then totally losing his shit

"We first noticed that something was wrong with Grill when he started complaining of abdominal pain every morning while getting ready for school," Grill's step-mother Wanda Abernathy explained. "It was right after I married Grill's daddy and it went on for months. I thought the new baby would distract him but his symptoms kept getting worse."

Because of the daily bouts of unexplained abdominal pain, Grill missed so much school that his family began to worry that he might fall behind. Finally, after being diagnosed with gluten sensitivity by a carnival psychic, the Abernathys restricted his diet and started home schooling him. The improvement was almost immediate, and nothing short of miraculous.

Grill, who must bring specially prepared gluten free pizza to post-game celebrations, has faced more than his fair share of adversity since coming out as gluten intolerant. Though used to being bullied at school because of his severe stuttering, he wasn't prepared for the reaction from fans of the opposing teams. "I've heard it all. Gluten baby. Wheat wimp. Functional abdominal pain secondary to significant psychosocial stressors. That last one was from my gastroenterologist but we stopped going there."

But the support from the gluten intolerance community has been overwhelming. He has received thousands of letters of encouragement and thanks, mostly from kids like him. "I never realized how many poor kids out there aren't allowed to eat stuff with gluten in it. Now they have someone to look at who is just like them, a victim of something they have no control over."