ImproveCareNow Story_of_self
Turning Ulcerative Colitis Into A Positive
Hi, I’m Luke. I'm 16 years old and attend Providence Day in Charlotte, NC. I have ulcerative colitis. This year, I’m looking forward to traveling to China to play basketball with my school team. Dealing with chronic illness has presented me with two main obstacles: managing stress and being aware of what my body needs (like how much sleep I’m getting and how much I can eat).
Not Letting Crohn’s Take Control
Hi, my name is Natalie and I’m a high school sophomore from Columbia, MD. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 10 years old. I’m passionate about music – I play the trumpet in my school’s marching band, as well as the piano and ukulele.
Ulcerative colitis helped me discover my love of medicine
Hello! My name is Taylor. I'm 22 years old and am secretly a Harry Potter fan (but shhhhh, I don’t want anyone to know!) I go to the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa. I'll graduate with my Bachelors of Science in May 2018. I am studying Human Health Science with the hope of being accepted into a Physician Assistant Graduate Program! I love medicine and would love to help others in any way I can.
The effect Crohn’s has had on my social life
Hi, I'm Ceilidh (pronounced KAY-lee). I'm 15 years old and attend school at Mount Mansfield Union High School. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in August of 2016. One thing most people don't know about me is that other than Crohn’s, I used to have a decently large strawberry hemangioma (basically a collection of fat and tissue). It was harmless, but it made me bite my lip a lot, so I had it removed when I was nine.
Crohn’s is hard to accept
My name is Sydney, and I'm 17 years old. I go to St. Pius X Catholic High School in Atlanta, Georgia. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease just this March. I am a triplet, with two triplet sisters, and I also have a younger brother.
PAC Welcomes Six New Members
Let's give a warm welcome to - and get to know - six new members of the Patient Advisory Council (PAC). Grady, Nick, Natalie, Shawntel, Emily and Laci are ready to #imPACt the lives of kids with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, by raising awareness about the realities of life with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and building connections and tools to support each other and all young patients with IBD. They're also using their voices and experiences to actively represent over 27,400 patients with IBD across the ImproveCareNow Network and are committed to collaborating and continuously improving outcomes as part of our Learning Health System. Let's meet them.
29 reasons I may be unintentionally ignoring you
I’m Wendy and in addition to being a baby/child sleep coach (I love helping families sleep), I care for my 5 year old daughter who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in September 2016. As we have been adjusting to life with IBD I’ve been journaling how I am spending my time. When our pediatric GI introduced us to ImproveCareNow I wanted to share my story to support others who may be going through a difficult time and to hopefully explain why I may be unintentionally ignoring friends and family.
Here are 29 ways I have been spending my time:
Life With Colitis: Mason’s Story
When I was first told I had colitis I was only 7 years old. I had really bad cramps and started pooping blood. We went to the doctor and he checked me out. They didn’t really know what was wrong at first and we had to go back to the doctor again until my mom insisted that something was really wrong. They took some blood. After that, they put me in a special room where he put an I.V. in and covered it with what felt like a cast. In 30 minutes I was put on a stretcher and rushed out the door and into an ambulance. Off to a different hospital. I knew it would take a while, so I fell asleep, next thing I knew I was on a hospital bed with my mom. My favorite blanket was with me, but I didn’t know how it got there.
What now?
I am just over three months into my first year of medical school. I love it, really, I do. Every day is different and a new kind of challenge, causing me to both embrace and restrict change as I become and remember who I am.
Of course, one contributing factor to who I am is my ulcerative colitis. It rarely feels like a Disease, with a capital D. It is less of a dinosaur than a dandelion these days. Usually barely noticeable but ubiquitous in my fields of thought. But then, the slightest trigger of an associated idea or memory creates a flurry of emotion I can’t help but acknowledge.
Here is Wesley's Story...
Wesley was diagnosed with severe Crohn's disease last October during his fifth grade year; just after his 11th birthday. Though he has always been a happy child, Wesley began showing symptoms of this disease at least two years prior to diagnosis. He struggled with various symptoms, often having to stay home and cancel plans. He was unable to play sports with his friends, and often left places to rush home because he was sick. He was absolutely miserable.