About

In 7th grade, I was underweight and I wasn’t developing. I began having typical early Crohns symptoms. The doctors found an ulcer and treated it and I went on my merry way.

8th grade is when things really became crazy. In February, I was at a volleyball tournament and played all day. I was at my friends hotel room and was exhausted. I went home with my parents and woke up shaking uncontrollably with a 106 fever. My mom called an ambulance.

Between then and now I have had 7 hospitalizations, 3 picc lines, 5 NG tubes, one folley bag, one bowel resection surgery, one endoscopy, one colonoscopy, spent a month and a half not eating any solids on TPN, and had many MREs, CT scans and X-rays. One of those hospitalizations is very distinct because I woke up not being able to walk, barely being able to communicate, and every bump in the car ride to the ER made me wail out in pain. It was the second most pain I have ever been in and it went on for hours. The most pain I have ever been in is when I woke up from surgery last week. It felt like someone was actively slicing my intestines. My whole body felt on fire while my mind felt like it was drowning.  I screamed and begged for help but I felt like I couldn’t hear myself. The doctors said I was screaming that it was a 9/10 but I don’t remember that. I’m not exactly sure what I was screaming. That’s when I had my first panic attack.

This whole situation has made my generalized anxiety so much worse so I am back with a therapist to work on that. I have also been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder recently.

Now I go to a boarding school for gifted and talented girls that I LOVE! I want to be an obgyn when I’m older or maybe a GI Doctor. I have a dog named Ollie and a dog in heaven named Sasha. I love volleyball, coding, math and science.

Email me your story so I can share it or if you ever just want to talk. I know how hard Crohn’s and colitis can be. We are all here for you.