GBM Team

What I Want You To Know

May 14, 2019 by GBM Team Comment Closed

To all the caregivers, bosses, classmates, and friends. To all the boyfriends and best friends, to the girl that I see at yoga class. I want you to know this: I have IBD. It stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. (It does not stand for Irritable Bowel Disorder, or anything else, and it’s not the same as IBS). If you know me, you probably know this. I talk about it frequently. I volunteer for various organizations. I have my elevator speech worked out, and I can rattle off definitions, facts, and statistics in my sleep. But do you know what that means to me, and the other patients who live day in and day out with IBD? Do you know that it’s not just some medical jargon that I apply to my digestive system? It’s so much more than trips to the toilet and bi-monthly infusions and doctors’ visits. This is my life. We all know IBD awareness is important. But there are more reasons that I want you...

HealtheVoices5

April 17, 2019April 26, 2019 by GBM Team Comment Closed

HealtheVoices 5: A Little Heart Can Do Big Things We were honored to have attended the #HealtheVoices19 conference: A Little Heart Can Do Big Things. At some point (or probably many points, the conference was a blur!) I was asked, as a first year advisor, how HealtheVoices has changed since its inception. It took me a while to figure out how to respond to this, because honestly, there are so many things, and growth like this takes time to absorb. The first year was like a good first date. We knew there was potential, we had an idea of what we wanted, but we just needed to figure out how to build up. Year two saw some growth and familiarity come into play. By year three, we had found our groove, and from there, a really, really good thing just became greater and greater. The faces that have experienced, and contributed to, HealtheVoices over the years have brought in some different perspectives, and...

GBM’s Buttload of Prizes Giveaway!

December 12, 2018December 26, 2018 by GBM Team Comment Closed

Thanks for stopping by. This sweepstakes is now closed. Thank you for being a part of our IBD community. We’re celebrating reaching 10,000 Facebook fans with our Buttload of Prizes Giveaway! You can earn up to 4 sweepstakes entries by responding to prompts on the social network of your choice. But first, check out this amazing prize pack! Check out the IBD Prize Pack One winner will be randomly chosen to receive this ENTIRE ridiculously awesome haul. Two additional winners will be randomly chosen to receive $50 Amazon gift cards. By the way, most of the prizes here were generously donated to this prize pack. To help say 'thanks', please consider supporting these companies through purchases and social engagement! Winners will be chosen on Dec 21, 2018. I Heart Guts Plush Intestines We don’t even have to say anything about how awesome I Heart Guts is. Their intestines plush is a must-have for IBD patients, because, well, we can’t think of a single reason not...

Gutless, Glamorous, and Going After Awareness

July 11, 2018July 12, 2018 by GBM Team Comment Closed

American Eagle’s intimates brand, Aerie, has always been a leader in featuring real, unretouched women in their product campaigns. They do a great job of not making the individuals featured seem like outliers, or the spotlighted exception to the traditional model – rather, they’re there. They’re featured in ads and product listings, no big deal, as if they were the norm. Because, guess what, they are the norm. So this week when we tapped into our social feeds, we were super excited to see a face we recognized right there on the product listing, our friend Gaylyn Henderson of Gutless and Glamorous. There’s no denying Gaylyn is gorgeous and brave and strong and unashamed. She’s the perfect representation of ostomates and IBDers for a spot like this. We’re SO proud of her and so overjoyed to see a company like Aerie include her among others with varying diseases and disabilities in their product features. Having women like her featured is a total...

Listen. #HealtheVoices18 Recap

May 17, 2018May 18, 2018 by GBM Team Comment Closed

"Listen" wasn't the theme of the 2018 #HealtheVoices conference. It was actually Stronger Together. The #StrongerTogether theme was reflected throughout the entire conference, as empowered patient advocates and industry experts came together for valuable sessions on things like podcasting, caregiving, photography, social media, and so much more. Attendees informally got together to host impromptu Facebook live sessions, Twitter chats, and even in-person meetups. Nearly everyone brought their skills to share, enough for the whole class. Collaborate, learn, and become Stronger Together, we did. That same theme was reflected as attendees shared their own disease stories and experiences within their own condition communities. Being diagnosed with one condition made individuals stronger for when a second diagnosis came along. It has made people stronger when chronic conditions turn, and now the patient is the caregiver. Every single person in attendance has grown stronger because of the things life has handed them, and then, because of the communities they've built around them. An empowered patient advocate...

To Talk, or Not To Talk?

January 20, 2015January 7, 2019 by GBM Team Comment Closed

To talk, or not to talk? That is the question. Okay, so if Shakespeare were here and had Inflammatory Bowel Disease he would totally be asking you that exact question right? I COMPLETELY understand that talking openly and honestly about Inflammatory Bowel Disease, whether you have Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis has probably sent many of you to run and hide behind the back of the sofa. Come out…please come out? I get it, I’ve been there myself… It can be embarrassing, hard to talk about and some of you may prefer to keep it all to yourselves. Keep your ‘secret’ hidden away because that’s what makes you feel most comfortable. Not having to talk about your illness whether it be due to feeling ashamed, frightened or a burden on other people, these are all natural when someone brings up the topic of ‘discussing’ IBD in a very public way. We have all felt annoyed or angry when someone says a really mean comment....

I’m Sick-Sick

January 15, 2015January 7, 2019 by GBM Team Comment Closed

So now that the holiday season has come and gone, the New Year is usually a time when we all reflect on the previous year and think about how we want to change going forward. I took this time, however, to think about how I spent my holiday season – sick. And no, I wasn’t having a flare and out of control Crohn’s symptoms, which is what the holidays (mostly over-eating) usually bring for me. I had the flu. Type A and B. Let me tell you: when I was in that doctor’s office and I was told that the flu test came back positive for both Type A and B, I was floored. A flu diagnosis is usually maddening for a typically healthy person, but for someone with a chronic disease and a suppressed immune system, it’s terrifying. What could usually last a week could possibly last 3 weeks or more with an immune system so compromised like mine is. I...

Along the Journey of Crohn’s

January 9, 2015January 7, 2019 by GBM Team Comment Closed

I don’t know where to begin. It has been suggested to me many times that I write down the story of my journey through college, getting a grown up job, getting married, having a baby and oh, yeah having Crohn’s disease. I am not truly sure where to begin with this story, so I will begin at the beginning and go to the end, though I know it will not be straight through, as no good story goes straight from beginning to end. 2009 College can be a trying time for anyone. Moving away from home, dining hall food, partying, and stress from an insane course load is enough to cause anyone a little digestive distress; especially someone who has food allergies, such as me. I spent four years trying to figure out where the “hidden” bathrooms were in each of my academic and resident buildings to ensure no one knew it was me getting “sick” and stinking up everything. Luckily for me, I...

10 Gift Ideas for Crohn’s and Colitis Patients

November 22, 2012December 6, 2018 by GBM Team Comment Closed

What gifts do you get your friends who have Crohn’s or Colitis? The holidays are coming up, and we’ve got some awesome ideas that will show them how much you love and support them! Here are 10 ideas that will go great with Ask Me shirts. Need more? Here are 12 more inspiring, healing, and funny ideas. 10. Lavender Scented Oil – Lavender triggers natural relaxation, and emu oil is a gentle moisturizer that helps heal scars. Olivu 426 handmakes products with all-natural ingredients, and you can add any scent into any product! Sandalwood is another great scent for relaxation. 9. Designer Pill Box – What lovely lady doesn’t appreciate a high fashion case for storing her meds? These small pill cases that contain 3 small containers for medicine on the go, and can be found at more and more retailers, from stocking stuffer priced Charming Charlie’s, to high end Henri Bendel. 8. IBD Healing Plan Cookbook – This new cookbook offers IBD-specific recipes as well as understanding of how a proper diet can...