Making a Comeback

Most cannot imagine spending just a week in the hospital – let alone six months. Instead of reveling in a typical childhood of fun and games, a freshman at Conifer endured countless doctor’s offices and hospital rooms. It was a portion of her life taken away, and it still affects her now.

“When I was three, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s [Disease],” she said. “They put me on a bunch of medications for it, but they weren’t really doing much.”

Crohn’s is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive track that isn’t yet curable. After her diagnosis, her condition continued to worsen, and the medication wasn’t working. So, after three and a half years of failed medication and six months straight in the hospital, she and her family made the decision to switch doctors. They learned that Crohn’s had in fact been a misdiagnosis.

“My new doctor diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis (UC), and gave me all new medication,” she said. “It was helping, but we needed a permanent solution.”

In order to achieve this, she decided to undergo three consecutive surgeries. It was a big decision for both her and her parents, though it did provoke results.

“The first [surgery] was [removing] the colon, and then I felt better. Then I got a colostomy bag (a bag attached to the small intestine). The second surgery was to make a j-pouch (a replacement for the colon) and at that point, I still had the colostomy bag. The last was to just put all my organs back together. After all of that, I felt a lot better.”

While all of this was going on, her dad helped to keep her spirits up, through all of the surgeries and hardships.

“When I was in the hospital, I couldn’t eat or anything, so my Dad and I made this list of foods that I could put anything I wanted on [for when I got out of the hospital],” she said. “I remember that one night I woke my Dad up at 2 AM just to tell him, ‘Dad, Dad, we’ve got to put some Snickers on the list!’”

Though there were ways to get through it all, it was cause for celebration when she was finally released from the hospital at seven years old. She quickly got involved in the CCFA (Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America), so that she could share her experience and help others who are going through similar issues. She has been a big part of the community ever since.

“This year I got to be the honored hero at the yearly walk in Denver,” she said. “It was an awesome experience and was really fun. We also raised $8,500 which will go towards finding a cure. And I got to be on the news.”

Though the toughest part might be over, she still struggles with UC today. It is a long-term condition, and could always be an issue. However, her story thus far has inspired many.

“The lesson would be to never give up on what you’re dealing with,” she said. “It will always get better.”