ostomy – The Great Bowel Movement

From the Hospital to the Big Screen: Derek and the Crohnie Movie

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From the Hospital to the Big Screen: Derek and the 'Crohnie' Movie A conversation with Derek Mari Recently, we had the chance to chat with Derek Mari about his diagnosis of Crohn's disease, why he fights so hard against stigma and shame, and how he's bringing this story (hopefully) to a really, really large audience - through a full-length film. Follow along with what he had to share: GBM: Let's start at the very beginning - your diagnosis story. Derek: I grew up in Modesto, CA, and was originally diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 15. It happened after about a year of dealing with symptoms, and so so much Tylenol. Although I finally received that diagnosis, it still felt like a mystery. I didn't really understand the problem, only that I was in a ton of pain and wanted it to stop. I eventually moved to Los Angeles to go to film school, and I started seeing a gastroenterologist at UCLA. My diagnosis...

Adventures with an Ostomy

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Adventures With An Ostomy Guest Post by Abbey Corbett Life. Life. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s unpredictable. It’s exciting. It’s maddening. It can change in the blink of an eye. The year was 2009. I was sitting with one of my roommates at college when something caught my eye on the muted TV screen. It was a photo of a stunning young woman in a black bikini confidently showing off her ostomy bag. I was immediately drawn to the story because as someone who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 8, I knew that a bag was almost guaranteed to be in my future. When I pictured it though, I pictured it 20, maybe 30 years in the future after I’d been married and maybe had a few children. After I had been able to get as much out of life as possible. Sudden Turns When You're Not Ready Fast forward 8 years later, I found myself sitting in my doctor’s office...

Learning Life as a Parent of IBD

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Learning Life as a Parent of IBD Guest Post by Tracy Jackson Knowledge is Power When I became pregnant, I read everything. I read parenting books, psychology books, what to expect books, you name it, I probably read it. To me, knowledge is power, the more I know the better it will be to handle things as they come my way. As my kids Sarah and Danielle grew, I read about the “terrible two’s” and raising school age children. Having kids only 15 months apart, I started to get familiar with the teenager books and hoped I could manage the road ahead that they would be facing almost at the same time. Raising a teenager is hard. The idea is you are supposed to be giving them more responsibility as they mature, guiding them towards independence & adulthood. Adding Crohn’s to the mix of teenager really complicates things. Danielle was 11 years old when she first showed symptoms of IBD. Over the course of 6...

Along the Journey of Crohn’s

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Along the Journey of Crohn's Guest Post by Erica Baker 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”...

Conquering Crohn’s

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Conquering Crohn's Guest Post by Robbie Kochs I want to start by saying one thing to anyone and everyone, whether you have Crohn’s Disease, IBD, a chronic illness, or anything at all. If you have a dream, a goal, a vision, go out and get it. NEVER let anything stop you from reaching this dream. You are too good for that. If you are passionate about something then go do it. If people tell you that you can’t accomplish this goal then go and prove them wrong. Fight the fight. Just know that when you begin the fight for your dream you will get knocked down. It’s inevitable. Obstacles will get in your way, but you know what you do? You get back up and NEVER give up. One of my favorite quotes comes from a very famous man by the name of Rocky Balboa, and he says, “It’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you get hit...