Hi, my name is Adam, and I am a 24-year-old medical student. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was two years old and had my colon removed when I was 12. Recently, I published a children's picture book, Up and Adam, about my childhood experiences facing IBD with a positive attitude. This is the story of how and why I created Up and Adam and how I hope my book can help young kids by offering a tangible connection to someone who knows what they're going through and can remind them they are not alone. 

The Patient Advisory Council (PAC) is continuously focused on advocating for IBD patients and promoting the patient perspective in IBD care. PAC Projects (like toolkits and podcasts) are one way we do this. Here are some of the things we've been working on lately:

Lifestyle and IBD is a new web-based toolkit that the Patient Advisory Council (PAC) began working on in early 2020. As COVID-19 impacted the lives of many across the country and the world, discussions about how IBD impacts how patients live became especially important to members of the PAC and the greater IBD community. Seeing a need, we decided to co-produce a resource - for patients, by patients - that could help others by sharing direct patient experiences, patient-developed information, resource links, and professional information and insights.

One of the opportunities that active PAC members have is to work on the creation of PAC toolkits. These resources cover many different topics related to life with IBD, but they all share one important thing in common - they are for patients, by patients. 

Invisible illnesses, like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, don't take time off for the holidays. Learning about what your friends and family members who live with IBD may be experiencing is a powerful way to demonstrate your caring and support, and to also include them in holiday plans in ways that work for them.

Sun safety is important for everyone, but if you are living with IBD (and taking certain medications) it may be even more important for you to protect your skin from the sun.

Hi everyone! My name is Maitri, and I attend the Ohio State University (yes, the "the" is obnoxious but absolutely necessary). I am majoring in Neuroscience, and plan on attending medical school! I also work as a part-time PCA at Nationwide Children's Hospital. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when I was 15. An interesting thing that most people don't know about me is that I am trilingual - I speak Gujarati, Hindi, and English!

Last December, @ICNPatients shared how holiday stress and eating can affect IBD and their wellbeing. We are re-sharing today, because we are coming into the summer holiday season. With more gatherings and food offerings on the horizon, we hope you'll take a PAC moment to learn how patients with IBD might experience these celebrations:

Hello everyone, it’s Hannah! In early December of 2020, I had my ostomy reversal or takedown surgery to create my J-Pouch. I knew from talking with my doctor some of what to expect: waking up with lots of tubes, feeling tired and sore. But it was through reading articles about other people’s J-pouch experiences (those who just had surgery and those who have lived with their pouch for some time) that I was able to prepare myself for what to anticipate physically after surgery. Looking back now, I realize I’ve learned a lot, that there are things I wish I had known, and that I want to share what I’ve learned so others can know what to expect.