At 13 I started to have severe stomach pain—it was awful pain, all the time. I would go to the hospital seeking help, and they would send me home, telling me to take some Pepto Bismol. I knew something was not right, and my parents consistently advocated for me and brought me back in as many times as needed.
This was back in the late 1990s, and Crohn's disease was not as well-known. Finally, I received a Crohn’s diagnosis at 14 after undergoing diagnostic tests. I was just starting high school, and my parents were separating and going through a custody battle.
It was a time of heightened stress and anxiety for me, which only triggered my Crohn’s symptoms, pushing them into overdrive. I was taking a ton of different medications, but I was always sick and extremely skinny. I was 5’7” and weighed just 120 pounds.
From the ages of 14 to 21, I was struggling and just getting by. Although I was told that Crohn’s would also stunt my growth, I surpassed expectations and shot up to 6’ 2”. I received the best care possible from my G.I. doctor at the time, Dr.
But my energy and strength were still decimated. The day after my 22nd birthday, I was put in the intensive care unit due to malnourishment. I weighed just 140 pounds and my body was deteriorating.
Every time I ate, I was in pain. I didn’t have an appetite and was put on a feeding tube. My weight stayed dangerously low, and no medications or diets were working.
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