When I was 15 years old, I was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis. Twelve days later, I underwent surgery to remove most of my large intestine. I woke up from surgery having lost most of my colon (and gained an ileostomy), a month of my sophomore year, and a lot of self-confidence...

Thinking back to my childhood, the one thing that always brought me joy were animals. My parents allowed my siblings and I to have pets, and we treated them like real members of our family. When I first got diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I remember feeling very overwhelmed. It alway...

Someone once told me that nurses are the life force that make a hospital thrive, and function, on a daily basis. There is no truer statement.  My IBD journey started when I was 15. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and spent a month in the hospital trying to recover enough to fun...

IBD can affect anyone, regardless of their gender identity, age, or racial/ethnic background. And yet, when I was growing up, I didn’t feel as though that was true. In fact, in my experience, the people in the IBD community around me hardly ever looked like me. I remember meeting anothe...

Written by Kacy Holloway, National Council of College Leaders member Traveling has always been something I’ve loved doing, and there is so much of the world that I still want to see. Traveling can take anyone out of their comfort zone – a new location with unfamiliar foods and places, m...

Written by Ty Redler, National Council of College Leaders alumnus Misdiagnosis: a period throughout a patient’s medical journey where the patient can be confused, scared, unheard, misunderstood, and lost. Before I was diagnosed, I was misdiagnosed with seemingly everything that is a com...

Written by Colette Manley, National Council of College Leaders alumnus Hey IBD’ers- My name is Colette. I am a recent graduate from Iowa State University and now attending graduate school. It hasn’t been easy, managing my Crohn’s while in school, but it is definitely possible. One of th...

Written by Amy Bugwadia, National Council of College Leaders member Moving to college can be worrisome for anyone, not to mention the unique challenges that an IBD patient may face. Something that will inevitably arise is how and when to tell your roommates about IBD. Remember that IBD...