South Philly Review

Dia DiCristino knows what it's like dealing with a large cyst pressing on her cerebellum and occipital lobes. Back in 2003, the native of Seventh and Bigler streets had 11 surgeries over a 14-month period.

Six years later, the 28-year-old is striving to make life easier for others dealing with arachnoid cysts, through her Web site, www.arachnoidcystawareness.com. The concept came about back in '03 when she was dealing with health issues.

"Arachnoid cyst awareness first began when I was stuck in the hospital with bacterial meningitis in the summer of '03. I was frustrated because there was only one arachnoid cyst Web site, but the answers were based too much on that one person's opinion and not so much on fact," she said. "I thought, 'wouldn't it be great if there was more of an interactive Web site with a forum that could host blogs?' That way everyone with an arachnoid cyst could give their experiences daily, not just once a year. That was how it all started."

Today, more than 1,000 members have shared everything from their experiences to finding the right neurosurgeon. Following the mission statement of Never Give Up, DiCristino's goal is spreading the word to those newly diagnosed, as well as family and friends. The site includes a page on symptoms and medications and another containing articles.

"It is so hard for those with an arachnoid cyst. It isn't cut and dry, there is no textbook prognosis and there aren't many doctors willing to treat arachnoid cysts." DiCristino said.

But DiCristino, who now resides in England, wanted to do more. So last year, she launched www.cookingwithdia.com, which she said receives 1,000 to 10,000 hits a day. The food blog is dedicated to comfort food recipes for those with dietary restrictions such as veganism, vegetarianism, the gluten-free diet and the macrobiotic diet. Some recipes are even influenced by her South Philly roots.

"I am Italian-American and grew up in a predominately Italian community, so I have fun with taking the old recipes and putting a vegan spin on them," she said. "Believe it or not, there are now even vegan Italian sausages."

DiCristino is a vegan and macrobiotic herself as she has dysphagia, which causes difficluty in swallowing. Although she can eat normally for the most part now after therapy, she felt the diets would eliminate toxins and keep her energy up.

It's a one-women operation. She creates the recipes, cooks the food, takes the pictures and posts the images. DiCristino said her father's love for food has provided inspiration.

"My dad [Joseph] was a great cook. We always talked about him opening up his own restaurant someday, but sadly he passed away in 1998 from cancer. He really got me into food," she said.

DiCristino noted the biggest complaint she hears about health-related diets is the lack of comfort foods. Because of this, her site includes healthy recipes for foods such as Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, Vegan Muffins and Macrobiotic Pizza.

All this from a '04 Immaculata University grad who earned a Bachelor of Arts in both theology and music.

"I never took a class for photography," DiCristino said, "but I had to think of other ways to express my artistic side. Photography for me was the perfect way to do this. If I am honest, it was always lurking in the back of my mind as another career path."