Over 300-thousand people across Canada live with Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis – a Vanderhoof nursing student attending the College of New Caledonia is among them.
Yesterday (Tuesday), was World IBD Day and Wynne Fitzpatrick recently told her story about living with the condition.
She told Vista Radio her journey with the disease started when she was 13 years old.
“I kept getting these re-occurring abysses’ and the doctor in Vanderhoof referred me to someone in Prince George who then referred me to get a colonoscopy at BC Children’s. And then, I got my colonoscopy done and was about to head out the door and the doctor called us and told us to stay a little bit longer because I had very severe Crohn’s Disease.”
“I don’t think people who don’t have it can understand how normal we can be but when we go home are just exhausted. You don’t really get sick, but we have to put on a mask and get on with our day but when we get home, it is a struggle. Having IBD is not an easy thing to do especially managing school and everything, and being a nursing student, we are going to clinicals, working in the hospitals taking care of patients. Sometimes it is hard to remember you need to take care of yourself too.
Wynne is also a passionate fundraiser and mentor for young people living with chronic illness and hopes to become a nurse serving northern B.C. communities.
“I get to explain to them what I go through and kind of give them more perspective about IBD as well. I feel like it’s very important because especially in the north because there are not a lot of speciality clinics in the north, we have to go down south a lot.”
Fitzpatrick received a $5000 scholarship from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada in recognition of her academic achievements and advocacy work.
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