A CHANGE of diet was all it took to change the life of Darwin schoolgirl Lucy Edwards.

For the first 18 months of her life, Lucy was often sick, suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting.

But nine-year-old Lucy, of Stuart Park, can now lead a normal life after doctors diagnosed her with coeliac disease.

The disease causes the body to produce antibodies that attack its own tissues.

It is usually triggered by foods containing gluten such as wheat, rye, and oats.

Lucy's mum, Louize Jowitt, said Lucy was often sick before she was properly diagnosed.

"Doctors just said she had a virus -- she'd get better for a while then it would happen again,'' she said.

When she was about 20 months-old, Lucy was taken to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed her with coeliac disease.

"Lucy was put on a gluten-free diet and within two weeks she'd completely changed,'' she said.

She said before the diagnosis Lucy would sit quietly reading or drawing.

"Afterwards she was running around like a normal child should -- it was an incredible change,'' she said.

Visit the Coeliac Society at Casuarina Shopping Centre on Saturday for Coeliac Awareness Week.