Hermano ended up in the hospital last weekend with a bad case of pancreatitis, a yeast infection in his digestive tract, ulcers on his small intestine, and colitis. We know he has been struggling with, what we thought was, Ulcerative Colitis for a couple years, but then we received news from his doctor on Tuesday that it isn't Ulcerative Colitis (UC) that he suffers from -- it's actually full-blown Crohn's disease.
It was really hard on Hermano to hear this because that means that things just got more serious for him and his future will be even more of a struggle. It is something he will battle for the rest of his life. We are waiting to hear about a game plan (his multiple doctors need to consult) as to how we will proceed going forward. Fortunately, Hermano was released from the hospital yesterday so that is a step in the right direction!
I've been doing some more research on Crohn's so that I understand what exactly it means for my brother and what kind of support is out there. I ran a half marathon with Team Challenge in 2010 when he was first diagnosed with UC and learned a little about it through the Chron's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). At that point, though, I was mainly focused on learning about UC. I know that CCFA has done a lot to research and raise awareness about Crohn's but there is so much more out there.
I hope to do more to help my bro out and may even run another race to raise money for him and this effort. I know several other people (one of my best friends) who are suffering with UC and Crohn's and I really hope that their quality of life will improve with future discoveries. Hopefully I can help! You can help too. Check out the Team Challenge website and the CCFA website to learn how you can give back!
Here is some humor for you about Crohn's (it's a digestive disorder) that I sent to my brother to give him a laugh: