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Functioning in the midst of little sleep, lots of pain, and/or extreme fatigue.

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Not having the energy to do things I love is frustrating, especially when I know the root cause is my disease.

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I have been sad about my disease, I have been confused by my disease, I have lost a lot because of my disease, but I will never be angry about it – because I love the person it has made me today.

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My body is just fine, no matter what shape, size, or weight it is.

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Everyone wants to have a life of which they are in control, but sometimes, chronic illness is in charge.

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What I have been through because of my disease has changed my personality and outlook on life entirely. I no longer worry about the little things in life, I don’t deal with drama, I don’t focus on things I cannot change because I realize there are way more important things I need to devote my limited energy to.

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What they want from you is the kind of support that is more precious than steroids, infusions, surgeries, or pills will ever be: they just want you to remind them that they’re still normal, that they still have control, and that they’re not alone in this.

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Chronic fatigue, joint pain, stomach aches galore–Crohn’s Disease has it all!

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You’re going to have many moments where you’ll just want to fix everything for us. You’ll desperately search for a way to make it all better and to keep us from pain. Accept right now that you do not have that power. What you can do is be patient, loving, encouraging, light, optimistic, and reassuring. That’s more important to us and more powerful than you even realize.

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College was exciting for me, but add in a disease that I still don’t have under control or completely understand (and I don’t know if I ever will), and that just adds in a whole new layer of anxiety about college. Moving to college and adjusting to it was tough, but getting my Crohns to adjust was even tougher.