A teenage girl gets diagnosed with colitis. Who and what is that? The teenage girl was my wife and colitis is an irritable bowel disease effecting a portion of the intestine. It is treatable but not curable, at this time. Crohn’s is the other diagnosis that can effect anywhere along the entire digestive tract.
The idea behind moderating this support group is to remain realistically optimistic. As a caregiver and spouse of someone diagnosed I have experienced many of the issues surrounding this, family, business and social, although not the personal pain. I also attended a support group years ago that was purely negative, a gripe session. I don’t have the right to say that it will all be alright, but I did want to create a more positive atmosphere that allows the attendees to share more of what they are doing then just what has become a true challenge.
We invite all ages, men, women and certainly the caregivers. We discuss anything from the newly diagnosed concerns, to food ideas, socialization and even book writing by our members. I do think many find it comforting to know others can relate to their circumstance and that is rewarding to me. We felt alone at one point and that was scary. Knowing should feel they are alone.
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cures for Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis. It was founded in 1967 by Irwin M. and Suzanne Rosenthal, William D. and Shelby Modell, and Henry D. Janowitz, M.D.
Since their founding, Crohn’s and colitis has remained at the forefront of research in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Today, they fund cutting-edge studies at major medical institutions, nurture investigators at the early stages of their careers, and finance underdeveloped areas of research. In addition, their educational workshops and programs, along with their scientific journal, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, enable medical professionals to keep pace with this rapidly growing field. They are very proud that the National Institutes of Health has commended us for “uniting the research community and strengthening IBD research.”
At this time all of our support group meetings are held on ZOOM. Please register by phone (516) 222-5530 for meeting room.
Strategies of Success - Communicating with Confidence 