Andrew Belliveau is from Lynn, MA. He was diagnosed at age 11, and has been living with Gastroparesis for 17 years. For years, he has battled constant nausea, frequent vomiting, malnutrition, and severe weight fluctuations.  

Although his journey with Gastroparesis may seem typical, it has been anything but. Trying to navigate academics, social life and sports during an already tumultuous time, middle and high school was no easy feat. However, he was determined to continue on with his life as best as he could and not let his diagnosis define him. 

Thankfully, when he was 15, he was fortunate enough to travel from Boston to Mississippi to receive a gastric stimulator from Dr. Abell. Since having the stimulator implanted, his symptoms have been under control. It has truly given him his life back. However, the unfortunate part is that the success rate of the device will vary from person to person. 

Since he was extremely lucky to respond to the stimulator as well as he has, he decided to set out on a quest to raise awareness for Gastroparesis and hopefully, help fund a cure. With inspiration from the Frates family and their work for ALS, he launched the Gastroparesis Pie Face Challenge on July 26, 2016. It took a while for the challenge to get off and running, but once former MLB pitcher David Price accepted his nomination, the challenge quickly caught fire. Since 2016, pies have been thrown across the globe by professional athletes, celebrities, media personalities, and plenty of GP warriors. Additionally, the challenge has been able to spread awareness nationally as it has been featured in media outlets like ESPN, People, Inside Edition and politicians. Most importantly however, over $15,000 has been raised for G-PACT over the years as a result of the challenge. 

It just goes to show you that sometimes, life’s greatest blessings, come wrapped in barbed wire.

Madi Cheever is a renowned Diabetes Expert Coach, Public Speaker, and the founder of Type One Type Fun. As a registered dietitian nutritionist and highly sought after coach, she has guided countless individuals with type 1 diabetes to transform their blood sugar control, lower their A1c, and achieve freedom to live life on their own terms. 

Driven by her personal journey with type 1 diabetes, Madi is passionate about simplifying diabetes care. Her innovative strategies equip clients with practical tools, critical thinking skills, and data-driven approaches to optimize blood sugar levels and overcome the frustrations of outdated medical advice. Through her compassionate guidance, she empowers clients to take charge of their management and thrive with confidence.

Madi’s expertise spans globally, having worked with semi-professional athletes, CEOs, business owners, and parents of children with diabetes across countries like Canada, Australia, France, and the Caribbean. Her inclusive approach fosters a supportive community where evidence-based information is accessible and actionable leading to food freedom and a vibrant limitless life with T1D. 

As a sought-after speaker, Madi has been featured on many popular podcasts, and she has lectured for organizations like Breakthrough T1D (JDRF) and the University of Alabama. Her unique ability to blend expert knowledge with empathy makes her a trusted leader in the diabetes space, inspiring others to live empowered, full lives with type 1 diabetes.

Crystal Saltrelli was diagnosed with idiopathic gastroparesis at the age of 23. Two decades later, she’s gone from being completely debilitated by the condition to living a happy, healthy life as a wife, mom, and business owner.

For the past 15 years, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping other people live well

with gastroparesis, drawing from both personal experience and professional expertise. She is the author of Eating for Gastroparesis and Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis, which have sold over 50,000 copies worldwide and garnered praise from patients and practitioners alike.

Crystal’s work has also been featured in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, UNC Digestive Health Matters, and DIGEST.

Crystal holds a degree from Dartmouth College and is a Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She has completed additional coursework through

Harvard School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and UCLA. 

Crystal lives in western New York with her husband and 12-year-old daughter, where they enjoy hiking, traveling, and cheering on the Buffalo Bills.

Victoria Killian lives in Los Angeles, California and is a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA). Disabled since age 12 due to severe low back pain, she endured years of uncertainty until diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Still struggling with unknown symptoms over many years, she was eventually also diagnosed with gastroparesis, narcolepsy, primary immunodeficiency, Long COVID, bronchiolitis, chronic migraine, and a rare genetic mutation affecting skin healing and hypermobility. Victoria’s disappointment with the current state of the U.S. healthcare system sparked her involvement in patient advocacy and education. She is a member of the Advocacy Committee at the Spondylitis Association of America, California Advocacy Team (CAT) at U.S. Pain Foundation, California State Advocacy Committee

at the Arthritis Foundation, and co-runs the G-PACT Gastroparesis Support Group. Dedicated to health insurance reform, cost reduction, and improved healthcare outcomes, Victoria advocates to spare others from similar struggles. Apart from her advocacy, she also creates digital content on disability, chronic illness, and healthcare.

Dr. Abell is the Arthur M Schoen MD Chair in Gastroenterology at the University of Louisville, where he has been since 2012. Originally trained in Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Dr. Abell is also trained in Gastroenterology, GI Motility, and several related areas. Dr Abell has been instrumental in setting up GI Motility Clinics for over 30 years at universities in the in the Mid-South (Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi) and now at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. While interested in all types of GI motility disorders, a special emphasis has been on the gastroparesis syndromes, as an original member of the NIH Gastroparesis Clinical Research Consortium. His team in Memphis pioneered the current technique used for GI Neuromodulation of the upper GI tract. The use of temporary gastric electric stimulation has been a focus in Louisville, which currently implants about 10% of the world’s permanent GI Bio-Electric devices. Dr Abell has a long interest in GI manifestations of neurologic disease including spinal cord injury for which he is involved with several related NIH studies. Dr Abell’s newest NIH work involves high resolution gastric electrical/body surface mapping as a diagnostic tool for GI motility disorders.