Just wanted to share with y'all a few things out there on the interwebs that prove that I am not the only one suffering from UC. Sometimes that's hard to remember, when you've got a disease that is played out in the most private of places, the bathroom.
First, please check out an article called "When Nature Calls" from Salon.com wherein a woman shares her experience of being diagnosed with UC at age 26 (And of pooping in her pants. A lot. Sound familiar?) After you read it, I encourage you to take a minute to peruse some of the reader comments. Muy enlightening, I must say.
Also, I want to share a link to my friend Mel's "MeMercial," a very brief video from her production company, Denver Mind Media, about her husband's fight against Crohn's. Although the images she uses are so powerful, what strikes me most is what she left out: the multiple hospital visits, the mounting medical bills, the overwhelming concern and helplessness about his endless battle....But those are just my reactions. Here's Mel's vision of what Crohn's looks like: http://youtu.be/w9zWNEe0Buo
Yes, it's Take Steps walk season at the ol' CCFA, and y'all know I am a big believer in this event's mission to raise money for research, support services, and education about IBD. Most of all, it's an important way for all 1.4 million people in the U.S. with Crohn's and colitis to do something POSITIVE about having these dumb diseases. Talk about not being alone: just in Denver, as many as 2,000 people will show up at the walk. So please, please, please do what you can to support this very determined tribe. Go to cctakesteps.org now to find your local event and donate.
One more note about this thought that "I am not alone": one of the blessings of my journey with UC (yes, there have been a few!) has been becoming more fully aware that while I have this burden, my friends and family all struggle with their own problems, the guy next to me at the red light has issues, that little old lady at the grocery store is dealing with something, and on and on and on. So when I say I'm not alone, what I mean is I am grateful for the knowledge that this is just the human condition I'm dealing with. My personal "human condition" is not great, but how comforting to know we're all in it together, no? (At least, that's my take on it today. But woe be to the first person to cut me off in the parking lot! My "kum-bay-ya" attitude could turn on a dime!)
