I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 20, although I should have been diagnosed many years earlier. My disease progressed quickly, and I had two emergency surgeries and multiple hospital visits in my first year after diagnosis. College was extremely tough for me as I couldn’t seem to find...

Have you ever noticed that your quality of treatment in a hospital changes based on the time of day and/or the day of the week that you are there? It’s true; the care you receive during regular hours on a weekday can vary drastically from the weekend. This is often referred to as the weekend effect—...

For many years now— and certainly the last six as a staff member of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation – I have heard many a tale of what it’s like to have a colonoscopy. Frequently those anecdotes include the unpleasantness of the prep and the joys of propofol. I am not a Crohn’s disease or ulcer...

After dealing with months of symptoms, I was finally diagnosed in with Crohn’s disease in February of 2017. Once I was diagnosed, I started meeting other IBD patients and getting involved with the IBD community but had never been to a Take Steps walk until I joined the Foundation as the Take Steps M...

It's hard to believe that 2020 is right around the corner—where did the year go? As we begin to plan for the new year, we wanted to look back on the past year to highlight the big news and successes for the IBD community. After going back through the year, all I can say is 2019 was an exciting ye...

Living with a chronic illness, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, can cause a lot of physical symptoms and emotional distress. But what we don’t talk about enough is the positive effect of having a chronic illness- the ability for patients to take their experience and become more resilient,...

We all know what it’s like to feel invisible at some point in time—the feeling of not being seen or heard by those around you. Typically, the feeling doesn’t last long-term. But for people living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, the feeling of being invisible is something they combat in e...