I have decided to participate in the annual "Take Steps, Be Heard for Crohns and Colitis" fundraising walk on May 4 at Stars and Stripes park in Oklahoma City. I have no idea really what to expect. I hope to meet people and other families that I can relate to. I know very few people with Crohn's disease. I also hope to raise awareness and help educate others about this autoimmune disease that affects 1.4 million adults and children in the United States. It is a difficult condition for patients to talk about, because the symptoms can be so embarrassing. Most people hide that they have it, thus raising awareness of it can be a difficult task.
I also hope to help the foundation raise funds that will go directly towards local patient programs and research projects to help find a cure and improve the lives of patients. My doctor talks to me as if one day in my lifetime there will be a cure. I sure hope that is true! Sometimes I wish I had the hope and belief she has that there will be a cure in my lifetime.
About 6 months ago, I decided to become more vocal about my illness. I have become more open to talking about what I have and writing about the sometimes uncomfortable symptoms in my blog. I know talking about a digestive disease makes some people feel uncomfortable or sad, but that is not my intention. My intention is to educated others and help those around me understand what I go through.
My number one intention with this blog is to provide a platform for others with digestive diseases to relate. When I was first diagnosed, it was difficult to find articles or other people's stories on the internet to relate to. When you go through something hard, you long to relate and feel like you are not alone. By writing this blog, I want to help others throughout the world not feel alone in their struggles. My other reasons for starting this blog are to help my friends and family understand me and to keep people updated on my life as a newly wed.
If you would like to go to my team's fundraising page follow the link below. You can type in my name to search for our team "The Crohn Rangers." Please visit the page and the website to learn more about digestive diseases, and if you would like you can donate to our team as well. There is a link on our team page for donations. I would be so appreciative of your support! you can also sign up to join us on May 4th for the Walk. I would LOVE to see your face at this event!
http://online.ccfa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TS13_participant_search
All I have to give right now is a thank you. So, thanks! I really appreciate your willingness to talk about Crohn's. I don't have any friends with colitis, so I don't have much opportunity to talk about it. It really helps me to hear how you are not just surviving, but thriving.
ReplyDeleteI just want to tell you how grateful I am that I found this blog. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in November of 2012, and just married in July of 2012. It has been a scary, crazy time for my husband and I. I'm so happy that there is at least one other young newlywed out there willing to talk about the struggles of these diseases. There are a few other people I know with Crohn's or colitis, but none of them are anywhere near my age. I mean, I am quite young. I spent my 21st birthday in the hospital being diagnosed with the disease. It's very exciting to have found someone who shares so many experiences and "icky situations" that many others are afraid to talk about. Thanks so much for being so opened about everything: your relationship with God, how Crohn's has been effecting your marriage, and the general struggles of being a newly wed. :D It has definitely encouraged me!!
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear more about what diet has worked for you. That's the part I'm really struggling with right now.
Thanks again for sharing your story!
Feel free to email me. :3
Best wishes,
Carolyn
(SeeEmZee@gmail.com)
Carolyn,
DeleteI'm so glad you found my blog! and I'm also happy to hear there is a young newly wed out there struggling with the same issues as me! I will write an update here soon and include more about my diet for you. I will also email you, i'd love to chat some more!