Jake's Story

When Jake was 11-years-old, he became extremely ill following a family trip to California. His family originally thought he had water poisoning, but he was still sick after two weeks of returning home. Shortly thereafter, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.

During the 2013 MLB offseason, Jake’s ulcerative colitis flared up. While staying at his Nebraska home, he began to feel irritable, overheated, and sluggish. He then lost 20 pounds over two weeks—a lot for anyone, but especially for a pitcher who depends on his weight to help generate power. Jake knew he needed to "gut it out" and take control of his disease.

He had the phrase "Gut It Out" tattooed on the inside of his right wrist and, after speaking with his agent at Beverly Hills Sports Council, worked with Athlete's Brand to design a "Gut It Out" t-shirt. The t-shirts went on sale in March of 2015 and quickly reached Diekman's fundraising goal of $7,000, with the proceeds going to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Jake continues to fundraise for the Foundation and frequently hosts meet and greets working with Foundation local chapters for children and teens across the country.

In 2017, Jake underwent three surgeries to remove his diseased colon and create an internal j-pouch. He missed the first half of the baseball season that year, but returned to the mound after recovering in the fall. That same year, Jake and his wife Amanda founded the Gut It Out Foundation to raise funds to support IBD education, research, and pediatric care, and highlight support groups for patients and caregivers nationwide.

"'Gut It Out' hits home for people with inflammatory bowel disease because of where the disease is located and how debilitating it can be," Diekman says. "Having IBD can be really painful. It's a day-to-day disease you have to deal with. That's why you have to gut it out each day. No matter what your problem is, somebody has it worse. Life could be a lot worse."

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Photo: Major League Baseball