Body image is a topic that Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients don’t often talk about due to the embarrassment and fear associated with opening up about their experiences with their Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

It can be incredibly frustrating to feel like you have no control over how your body works or looks, especially given all the messages we receive from the media about how a body ‘should’ look and behave. We wanted to create the Body Image Toolkit as a way to express our experiences, provide tips, and start conversations about body image & IBD. It’s important to know that we’re not alone in our feelings, and that there are so many people who understand what we’re going through! 

Welcome! – the Patient Advisory Council has been using that word a lot so far in 2016.

The PAC is growing quickly, illustrating the enthusiasm for the council. We’re proud to welcome four new members (with 3 joining in one week)! I’ve had the opportunity to get to know them and it’s my pleasure to introduce them to you here on LOOP.

Before we meet our new members let me just say a word or two about myself – in case we haven’t met yet. My name is Tyler Moon and I am the Recruitment Lead for the PAC. I’m a 19-year-old sophomore studying finance at Saint Louis University. I have Crohn’s disease and have since I was 9 years old. I’ve been a member of the PAC since its early days and am grateful to have experienced its growth and evolution firsthand. I’m passionate about making a difference in the IBD community as we make our way closer to a cure, and I won’t quit until one is found. In my (rare) free time, I enjoy Netflix binges, hanging out with friends, working out, snowboarding, and a newfound hobby – skydiving.

Now, without further ado, let’s say hello to our newest PACers!