Own Your Crohn’s

Empowering the Chronically Ill & Disabled to Lead Fuller Lives

Basmah’s Journey: The Cultural Impacts of Being an Egyptian Crohnie

“You have Crohn’s Disease.” That’s what my gastroenterologist told me after my first colonoscopy in 2003. I was 16 years old, and nobody in my family, except for my mom who is a doctor, had heard of the disease.For the last 18 years, I have experienced multiple...

Taryn’s Journey: Navigating Relationships and IBD During the Pandemic

“I think I might be at the start of a partial obstruction. What do I do?” The words I shared with my husband in late March 2020 weren’t rhetorical. It was more like I dropped a mini bomb into an already stressful situation. Even though I’ve had a series of...

Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine as a Patient with Several Autoimmune Conditions

I recently received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine! Many folks have been asking about my stance on it and what my experiences with it have been. First of all, I want to be clear – in line with the guidance shared by the International...

Dietary Guidance in IBD – A South Asian Approach

On March 5th, 2021, Dr. Neilanjan Nandi of Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA, hosted Dr. Sumit Bhatia of Medanta The MediCity Hospital, Gurgaon, India as well as Neha Shah, RD, of University of San Francisco, CA, USA, and me, Crohn’s & ostomy patient...

IBD Motherhood Unplugged: Womanhood Questioned by Crohn’s Disease

Motherhood is so much more than a word—it’s an expectation and an identity. It’s a right of passage many girls dream of when they think about their future and what their family will look like. But family planning, pregnancy, and motherhood are far from a given,...

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Gaurav’s Covid-19 Journey as a Crohn’s Patient in India

Jun 11, 2021

Greetings! I’m Gaurav Sengupta, a 32-year-old IBD patient advocate from India. I currently live in Kolkata and run a plastic manufacturing business of my own. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease back in 2015 when I was working as a Corporate Banker in the UAE. I...

Madhura’s Journey in India: Coping with Stigma around IBD & Feeding Tubes

May 16, 2021

My name is Madhura Balasubramaniam and I live in India. I have been locked in battle with my intestines for as long as I can remember. I spent a large part of my early childhood dealing with constant spells of stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting and rashes. I struggled...

Demi’s Journey: Coming Out with Ulcerative Colitis as a Filipino Woman

May 3, 2021

I sat on the toilet for the tenth time that day, clueless about what was going on inside of me. For the past seven months, I had been experiencing episodes of bloody diarrhea and had yet to be diagnosed. My ass was spewing blood and I was worried that I am losing a...

Bachatera with a Bag: Theodora Shattering Ostomy Stigma Through Dance

Apr 27, 2021

Elegance, beauty, confidence, and rhythm: these are some words used to describe a female Latin dancer. Chemistry, passion, sensuality: these often come to mind when describing or watching a Latin dance couple. Each genre of dance comes with its own culture. Dance...