August 15, 2023 Newsletter

Meet Emily Benson, our Honored Hero

"While having ulcerative colitis is very much a
part of me; I refuse to let it define me.” – Emily

My journey with ulcerative colitis began in May of 2009.
With the end of my senior year of high school in sight, as well as prom, college placement tests, dance team try outs, and losing one of
my best friends in a car accident. I was under a great deal of stress.
This is when I began noticing immense pain after eating. After complaining and battling stomach aches so bad that I would
sleep folded over myself for about a month, my family and I finally decided to go to the doctor. At first glance, I was told that I
had a stomach ulcer and that everything I was feeling was due to stress. However, when the pain continued to persist and become worse, we decided to seek answers from a GI.  

As an 18-year-old girl, the idea of needing a colonoscopy was not
only frightening but embarrassing. However, I was quickly losing a significant amount of weight as well as my appetite, as I associated
my stomach pain to eating. This is when we found the source of
all my pain and discomfort. After my first procedure we learned
that 90% of my colon was inflamed, and I was diagnosed with
ulcerative colitis. My doctor was surprised that I had been able to deal
with what he had seen in my initial procedure for as long as I had.
I spent the summer before beginning my freshman year of college in
and out of the hospital almost daily, trying different medications
(multiple times each) only to find the same outcome,
they wouldn't work. Instead, I would find myself dehydrated and weak; unable to even look at food or drink. I also spent weeks at a time in the hospital, and even missed my very first week of my freshman year.
The idea of taking my first semester of college off and beginning in the spring instead was a constant thought in my head. But I had worked so hard to make the dance team and I had already made friends with my roommates and attended orientation. Waiting to start school was unappealing and I vowed to not let my disease control me. 
For Emily’s complete story, Click here

Thank you to the registered teams:
Antonini Family & Friends
The Miller Family
Intestinal Fortitude
Magee Crohnies
Pete’s Pedaler’s
Twisted Spinners
Now UC us, now you don’t
The Spin-Cycles
Takeda Pharmaceutical

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