Hi! My name is Isabella, and I was diagnosed in October of 2023 with Crohn's disease. I began my treatment with Remicade infusions which helped bring my inflammation levels down. Unfortunately, I was still experiencing symptoms caused by a stricture in my ileocecal valve. This led me to visit a dietitian who recommended a dietary therapy called the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). With the SCD, I saw extreme symptom improvement and began to live a life free from the daily struggle of sickness and stomach aches. In June of 2024, I also underwent an ileocecal resection to remove all stricturing. Since then, I have been in total remission, and living a happy and healthy life, enjoying hobbies such as cooking, volunteering in my community, working at a local children's salon, and spending time with friends!

My greatest struggle with IBD was holding onto hope and my sense of self. As I was trialing different treatments, I was experiencing severe symptoms of stomach pain, vomiting, and weight loss. I began to lose my sense of identity, as I was no longer able to hang out with my friends and do all the hobbies and activities I had loved to do pre-diagnosis. I felt like I lost all my motivation, personality, and hope in recovery.

The constant support from my friends, family, and doctor lifted me up, and helped me to overcome my struggles in mindset. My doctor and dietitian listened to every symptom I had, making me feel extremely cared for. They also created my treatment plan and recommended a diet which brought me into complete remission. My friends were also very supportive, constantly checking in and giving me great advice. They kept me from slipping away from reality, making me realize I was going to get through this, and I was worthy of a better life. The one person who helped me the most was my incredible mom. She took me to each doctor’s appointment, advocating for me when I couldn’t. She was by my side every late night, caring for me at my lowest. My mom also decided to eat my diet so I wouldn’t feel alone, and was my biggest cheerleader, along with my Dad, as I improved. All the support I received made the biggest difference in my recovery. It led me to embrace my IBD, and instead of being sad for myself, it’s now something I am proud of!

I was attracted to the PAC because I wanted to be a part of a larger community of people like me, as well as wanting to share and advocate for IBD. The PAC can help you overcome obstacles by providing support and relatability to symptoms and issues caused by IBD. They also provide toolkits, podcasts, LOOP posts, and many more resources to educate not only patients, but also others about IBD. My goal is to become as involved as possible with advocating and supporting young patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, by creating a safe space for conversation and education.


Everything we do in ImproveCareNow is magnified by the efforts of thousands of improvers! No action is too small; here are some ways to get started:
💚 Join the Patient Advisory Council (pediatric patients with IBD who are 14+)
💙 Join the Parent/Family Advisory Council (parents/caregivers of young people with IBD)
💚 Participate in our Current Research Opportunities (subject to eligibility)
💙 RSVP to join us at one of our upcoming ICN events
💚 Subscribe to blog updates to stay #InTheLOOP with our IBD stories
💙 Download, use & share our free, co-produced IBD resources
💚 Connect with our welcoming & supportive pediatric IBD community and receive IBD resources, community stories, and ICN updates & opportunities
💙 Donate to ImproveCareNow - we are proud to use every dollar donated to advance our mission!
Our mission is to transform the health, care and costs for all children and adolescents with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) by building a sustainable collaborative chronic care network.
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