For so many years I remember being this young girl surrounded by so many people but feeling so alone… different than everyone else. I used to never acknowledge that I had a chronic illness unless I had to. When I would get stomach pain, have frequent need for the restroom, or was unable to do what others were doing, that’s when I felt so different…so alone. I was always the one with the (not typical) belly pain, that couldn’t eat anything, or that kept running to the restroom…always feeling singled out.

I sit staring at what feels like a mountain of pills, my pillbox barely shutting. I just wish I could be a normal college kid. Taking daily medications sounds so simple and easy, but it’s often one of my biggest challenges. Trying to keep up with medications and even appointments gets very exhausting, especially since I’ve had to do these things from a very young age. I know nothing more than a life filled with pills and appointments. 

Hi, my name is Justin, and I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2021. I am on Remicade. I am currently a rising junior in high school, and my interests are in law.

Hello Everyone! My name is Palwasha and I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2020, at the age of 15. My diagnosis is one of the main reasons why I want to pursue a future in medicine as a Physician Associate, and be able to help with research and advancements for the IBD community, as there is so much room for growth.

I remember feeling so alone in my illness. I was diagnosed with at age six and I grew up alone with this disease I was told I had and would never go away. I was surrounded by so many people but felt so peculiar because I was the only one with this disease. I always wondered to myself, “why doesn’t anyone else have this thing called Crohn’s disease?” and “why am I the only one with it?”

In November of 2021, I was diagnosed with IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. I had an uninvited, new irritable friend that became a part of my daily life, just like my IBD. Leading up to being diagnosed, I had been experiencing gut-wrenching belly pain, nausea with pain, and fluctuations between painful constipation and uncontrollable and very urgent soft stools. I knew something wasn’t right. I had experienced fluctuations of stool type from my IBD, but this time it was different. 

I'm 19 years old, and I have Crohn's disease. I was diagnosed in 2012 when I was eight years old. One interesting fact is that I know how to surf even though I'm from West Virginia. I struggle the most with not letting Crohn's consume my life.

I have been surrounded by medications and taking pills my whole life. Between being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at six years old and being diagnosed with IBS recently, with all the different medications I have to take every day and have had to try - feeling overwhelmed is an understatement!

February 6-10, 2023 is Feeding Tube Awareness Week! I think it’s very clever to have something like this because it seems like most people are ashamed or feel insecure when having a feeding tube; it shouldn’t be like that. A feeding tube isn’t an embarrassing thing to have. We should be grateful to have such a thing when we need it, so we don’t get even more sick.