Caring for Crohn's & UC

#ThisIsIBD: Rosanne & Sean

December 6, 2014 at 2:18 pm Rebecca K. Leave a comment

Today’s #ThisIsIBD stories come from two incredible people- Rosanne and Sean. Rosanne and I met through our volunteer work with the Greater NYC Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. She’s a great advocate and a Disney blogger in her spare time.

Sean is the founder of Crohnology, a social network for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Through Crohnology, a newly diagnosed patient can find others with the same condition in his/her city, learn about the treatments are working for patients, and record his/her progress as he/she tries new treatments, ultimately to get better and help others.

Rosanne, 30, ulcerative colitis

After eight years of symptoms, numerous tests and misdiagnoses I was finally diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2006 at the age of 21, just months before my college graduation. At a time when I had my whole life ahead of me, I suddenly was thrust into a period of flare-ups, hospitalizations and so many courses of steroids I lost count.

Today I consider myself lucky because I’ve been able to live a somewhat normal life. I am married with my first baby on the way and I work full time as a public relations professional. However, to me, living with IBD means a life of uncertainty and waiting for the other shoe to drop. It means planning every day for the worst-case scenario and the worry never goes away.

Sean, 28, Crohn’s disease

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was just 12 years old. Today, I’ve lived more years with the disease than without it. To me, Crohn’s disease is a daily reminder that good health is life’s precious gift that we all too often forget to recognize and praise.

Having Crohn’s Disease has made me appreciate every good day I have, knowing that any day can be taken from us without notice — whether by our own bodies, or by the random chance of life itself.

Entry filed under: Advocates, CCFA Awareness Week, General Disease, Interviews. Tags: Colitis, crohn's, Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, crohn's disease, Crohn's Sucks, ibd, IBD Awareness Week, inflammatory bowel disease, uc, ulcerative colitis.