DUBLIN, OH (WCMH)-Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are autoimmune illnesses that damage the digestive tract, afflicting more 1.6 million Americans.
Presently, there is no cure for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is usually diagnosed in adolescence, and is chronic and at times debilitating. More than half of those who suffer from IBD require at least one surgery-and half of those patients have multiple surgeries to relieve intestinal obstructions, scar tissue, and to treat diseased segments of the gastrointestinal tract.
Columbus Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis brought more than 3,000 participants together at Dublin Coffman Park on the last Saturday in June to raise awareness about IBD. The Columbus chapter organized the seventh top fundraising walk for Take Steps in the entire nation in 2015, raising $230,000 last year.
Since the first Take Steps event, which drew a few hundred participants eight years ago, the annual walk has raised more than a million dollars in research funds locally to help find a cure for IBD.
Brianne McFarland, executive director of Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Central Ohio chapter, said that the annual event “is the best opportunity for them to get together with people who understand what it means to live with these diseases.”
Walkers of all ages participated in games and activities, mingling with other families who share similar experiences with an incurable illness that can affect other parts of the body beyond the digestive system. This year’s honored hero, Becca Foskuhl, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease by the age of 16, has had several surgeries, after her colon perforated.
Foskuhl faced an uncertain future, but has managed to deal with the challenges of a difficult illness that included the loss of her colon, and an ostomy to create an opening to handle bodily functions.
“My surgeon explained to me I could potentially lose my ability to have children, and this pain would be ongoing, then I said yes.”
Dr. Marty Meyer, a gastroenterologist at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center who has been treating Becca, said, “Despite how sick she’s been in the past, she has an incredible attitude. I think that is definitely feeding her positive energy.” Meyer added, “We are trying to target those sites of inflammation earlier in the disease process” by incorporating genetic information and newer therapies to reduce the potential damage caused by chronic inflammation.
Deanna Todhunter, a Marysville resident who has battled Crohn’s disease and its many complications for two decades, after being diagnosed at the age of 15, said, “It actually touches my heart to see that many people would come out to help support a cause that not a lot of people like to talk about.”
To learn more about future CCFA events, you can go to ccfa.org.
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