May 19th, 2018 - Why is World IBD Day, or IBD advocacy in general, important? It really isn't... until it is. It'll be ten years since my diagnosis of Crohn's Disease, and had I not actually been living with the disease, I likely would have never heard of it. But as I started talking about my illness, I learned that I wasn't alone. Soon after I opened up about my illness did I begin to hear from old schoolmates who were also affected by the disease; learned that my neighbor was living with Crohn's; found out that acquaintances and "friends of a friend" were also affected by IBD in one way or another. It's been a real eye-opener! Even though IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) only affects an estimated 5-10 million people worldwide, you likely have people close to you who are directly affected by this disease. So why are days like World IBD Day important? Because they can change lives. I'd like to point out that since I'm living with Crohn's Disease, every day is an "IBD Day" and my ostomy serves as a daily reminder of just how brutal and severe this (currently) incurable illness can get. When we advocate and raise awareness for IBD, we are shining a light on a disease that rarely gets much attention. And if no attention is being given, there will be no research, no support for patients and their families, and a hell of a lot more suffering. So what can you do? Quite a bit! Here some things you can start doing today to help raise awareness and advocate for those living with IBD! Stuff for everybody: What family/friends of patients can do: What patients can do: Inflammatory Bowel Disease isn't going away any time soon, but there is so much we can still do while better treatments (and hopefully a cure) are being researched and developed. So take today, and every day, as an opportunity to learn, speak up, and get involved! Just your friendly neighborhood ostomate. Problems in life become worst and harder to deal with if we try to cope on our own. talking sharing helps ourselves and in return others. ileostomy 31st August 1994 for Crohns
~ Crohn's Disease ¦ Ileostomy ~
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May 19, 2018 7:30 am
May 20, 2018 7:23 am