Our Stories

Michael has endured 16 expensive surgeries, losing most of his intestines, and has spent up to 12 hours a day hooked up to an IV just to get nutrition since he was first diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 11. But thanks to the support he has received from the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and his friends and family, he is much better now after receiving an intestinal transplant. Your support today will help us offer support to other children and their families.

Patients with Crohn's disease may experience debilitating pain and fatigue in addition to other symptoms. Isabelle shares her story about learning to manage pain, stress, and fatigue while battling IBD as a student.

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. 

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.