Friday, November 30, 2012

IBD Awareness week starts tomorrow!

I copied this from Caringforcrohns.com!



Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week starts tomorrow and we are so excited to celebrate it with everyone in our IBD family!

What is Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week?
As a result of a federal bill introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) andCongressman Andrew Crenshaw (R-FL-4) passed in 2011, Congress declared December 1-7 to be Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week to educate Americans about the diseases and encourage people to join in the effort to find a cure for IBD. This resolution was passed in thanks to some great Senators and Representatives who cosponsored it including:
Why celebrate?
Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis impact millions of people nationwide. We don’t have to tell you how debilitating these two incurable diseases can be- the cramping, the diarrhea, the constant urgency, the food limitations, and so on.

Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week is celebrated to make people aware of these diseases and raise money to bring us close to finding a cure.
How to celebrate this year
A group of Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis bloggers are coming together to celebrate this year with a Wear Purple Challenge.
From December 1-7, we are going to wear an item of purple in honor of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week. Whether it’s a shirt, bracelet, pants, socks, nail polish- it doesn’t matter as long as it’s visible and purple!

Each day, we are going to take a picture and post it on our blogs, Facebook, & Twitter to share with our followers to show our support of the Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week.
We are challenging all of you to join us!
Wear purple and take a photo of it each day and post it to your blog, Facebook, or Twitter with the hashtag #PurpleChallenge. At the end of the week, we’ll compile all the photos on our blogs to share with everyone.
Want to celebrate but can’t participate in our challenge?
Check out the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s website for ideas- they have some great one’s listed for ways to participate in the week.

Happy Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week!

Laura (@Ellee_hogan)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Update!

Alexis and her little sister, Kyleigh, on begger's night!
Alexis' FINAL j-pouch surgery will be Thursday January 3rd, 2013.


Less than 2 months to go and she will be ostomy free.

So hard to believe!


Saturday, November 3, 2012

Thankful

With it being the month of Thanksgiving-- I have realized that I am SO thankful for the great team of Doctors Alexis has been blessed with. They have been with us through the good and the bad. It is bittersweet that we are no longer required to see Alexis' GI Dr on a regular basis. He kept such a close eye on Alexis, and got to know her so well. He was the first male Doctor Alexis EVER let examine her (and felt okay with it!). We lost our pediatrician a few months back, and her and I both cried when she told me she was moving to the Cleveland Clinic. She had been with my family since Alexis was BORN! She also shared with me her own mothers struggle with UC, and I believe that is when we REALLY bonded. If I could, I would drive to Cleveland every year for my children s well visits. When you have a sick kid, you grow so attached to the Doctors...whether you like it or not.

 I can't even begin to show my gratitude to the surgeon who preformed such a major surgery on Alexis' tiny body. She was a mess prior to her colectomy and within days of the operation, we had our wild 5 year old back. He truly gave my family our life back.

Of course my list of things that I am thankful for is more than a mile long, but these Doctors are on the top of my list. I can only hope they realize just how much of an impact they make on all of their patients and their families!