Monday, April 13, 2009

MORE ABOUT THE CROHN'S AND COLITIS WALK


When I started my Blog I promised myself it would be solely about the house...and then came the TAKE STEPS walk..again. The picture above shows the reason we're walking - two people who have fought hard to maintain life as simple as possible and as in good health as possible. Would you know it to look at them that one has Crohn's and has had for over 30 years and that one had ulcerative colitis and then colon cancer? Probably not. Would you know who had to stay home on the couch because the strawberries they ate on July 3rd made their Crohn's act up so they couldn't attend the famous July 4th cookout. Would you know which one had to make sure where each and every bathroom along Route One was before taking off from home. And, would you know who is thankful for each and every day they wake up alive? This is my sister, Sherie and my husband Tom. Tom now has a colostomy so is not faced with his problems of the past with his colitis. Although it took some getting to used to for him he now says it's the best thing he could have had done. A cancer survivor for 6 years now Tom appreciates the research the CCFA puts into finding a cure. Sherie lives from one day to the next watching her diet and always wondering if the Crohn's will attack a part of her body and force a trip to the ED. The Crohn's has affected her eyes and from time to time an infection rears up. Both these people have learned to live with what life has given them and to not complain. Both of these people I love dearly and after having a stomach virus for over a week now I can imagine what it's like (only a little bit) to have colitis and have to always be near a bathroom. This is why my team is walking.....to find a cure. The donations are coming in but that's minor to learning about these diseases and learning about the people who have them - instead of wondering why they didn't do certain things with their kids when they were little realize why they "couldn't" do those things. Crohn's and Colitis are diseases that most people don't talk about - TAKE STEPS is about awareness and speaking out. I'd like to think that us, as a FAMILY, are doing our part to help Sherie and Tom and to help find a cure.

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