Anna Gordon (Missouri)

 

School: University of Missouri-Kansas City

Major: Health Sciences

Hometown: Saint Louis, MO

Hi! My name is Anna Gordon, and I am a senior at the University of Missouri-Kansas City majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Public Health. I hope to pursue a career in the nonprofit world, and maybe even start my own nonprofit one day for people recently diagnosed with chronic illnesses. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 15. My diagnosis was later reclassified as indeterminate colitis. The onset of my illness was acute; I underwent surgery to remove my large intestine just twelve days after my diagnosis. Currently, my disease is managed through a biologic injection that I take every other week. From the moment of my diagnosis, I knew that I wanted to help others so that no one ever had to feel as hopeless as I felt. I first got involved with the Foundation through the Take Step walks, but my passion for IBD advocacy really took off when I went to Camp Oasis for the first time in 2016. At Camp Oasis, I found hope, acceptance, and a family. Since then, I've wanted to find a way to give back to the organization that has given me so much. I have served as the council’s revenue workgroup chair, and I  am now one of the two co-chairs of the council. I am so honored to serve on the NCCL alongside so many other inspiring young adults, and I am blessed to be able to help change the lives of those living with IBD.