A few years ago, I was in a retail chain store and the person in front of me at the cashier asked to use the bathroom. The cashier said, "We do not have a bathroom." So, when it was my turn to cash out I said, “You have a bathroom...you just don't let the public use it?" She answered me, “Yes.” I thought to myself that this would be a great teaching moment.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 1984. Very little was known about IBD. Hospitals were isolated...no one shared information. Now over 30 years later....I never thought I would be a part of a collaborative network that's main goal is to share information and data. When our son was diagnosed with Crohn's disease....I felt like it was time to step up and have a voice.