Our Stories

Little did I know that it wouldn’t impact my romantic life much at all. So much so, that I started a relationship with a girl two days before my ostomy surgery. I told her what was ahead, and she was just happy I would be healthy enough for us to spend time together. 

IBD does not define who you are, it does not dictate who or what you will become. And one day, it won’t exist. Until then, we fight relentlessly without reservation. 

It’s difficult to see a loved one in pain and distress and not be able to do anything about it.

A mother shares how Camp Oasis helped her daughter cope with Crohn's disease and find a place of belonging.

Standing at 6 feet 9 inches tall and 230 pounds, it’s hard to imagine Larry Nance, Jr. as anything but the impressive athlete that he is today. But there was a point, not too many years ago, when Larry could barely get out of bed, let alone play basketball.

Externally at 6-foot-4-inches and 200 pounds, Kansas City Royals pitcher Jake Diekman looks healthy and fit. Internally, he struggles with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that he has lived with for the past 21 years.

At first I shrugged it off when my surgeon informed me they found three tumors in the inflamed and ulcerated colon they had removed from my body. I figured, they caught it early and it's been surgically removed. It's time to live the rest of my life and discover who I am as a person without the unbelievably high anxiety and stress of having to be near a bathroom.

Ostomy Awareness Day got me thinking about, quite simply, how many people I’ve known throughout my life who didn’t realize that I have an ostomy. The list of people is probably longer than it should be.

I woke up one day to the worst stomach pain imaginable back in the summer of 2015. I was vomiting uncontrollably and didn't understand why. Nothing would stay down, not even water. It felt like I was being tortured because it just wouldn't let up. I was put through a multitude of tests and finally discovered that I had been living with Crohn's disease for the past two-three years, and guess what? It wasn't going anywhere!

My name is Jessica and I have Crohn's disease. That sounds odd to say, it's like I have a second part to my name, Jessica, Crohn's disease. But as many of you know, it is not too far off to have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis closely linked to you.