This Takes Guts And I Don't Have Many

THROW YOUR HEART OVER THE WALL
AND YOUR BODY WILL FOLLOW
-Plaxico Burress

When I was twelve years old my stomach hurt. This was not the typical tummy ache that is often the result of too many hot dogs and french fries but was something more severe. The pain progressed and after a year of testing (none of it fun) I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease which basically meant that my colon was in bad shape. You experience abdominal cramping and spend an inordinate amount of time in the restroom. It is treated with medication but the symptoms still persist.

As a twelve year old kid this disease was difficult for me because I lived an incredibly active lifestyle. In addition to doing all of the fun stuff that twelve year olds do, I also played competitive tennis. Being on the court for hours on end was not unusual and I loved competing. Crohn’s made this hard but not impossible.

Fortunately I have a great family that supported me. Two tennis playing parents and three younger playing sisters were always there for me when I needed them. They understood when I needed an “extra minute” to let the pain pass – although, I do remember my youngest sister trying to “quick serve” me on a few occasions and they always let me extend the ten minute potty break afforded players under USTA rules. They were great.

I lived such a “normal” life that the majority of friends never knew that I had the disease. I didn’t really hide it I just didn’t let it slow me down. I graduated from high school and was off to college where I took twenty pills a day to treat my disease. I had “flare ups” up at school but what do you expect when your diet consists of pizza and beer (I really miss college!). I had the time of my life.

A few years later my doctor recommended surgery.

“But I feel great!” I said.

“John” he replied, “You have hurt for so long that you don’t remember what it is like to feel good again.”

That was all I needed to hear. Truth be told, I didn’t even seek a second opinion. I immediately moved forward with surgery that removed eighty percent of my colon.

Today I am pain free. My disease is still active (causing me to still make frequent trips to the restroom) but I have not had a “Crohn’s pain” since the operation. I am up to twenty four pills a day. A small sacrifice considering that I know now what it is REALLY like to feel good.

A few years ago I began running. I did this as a way to reduce my stress level which had a nasty way of aggravating my disease. I started out by running short distances, increased to marathons and added some biking and swimming along the way. I worked my way up to a sprint triathlon. It is amazing what you can do when your stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. I progressively added more distance, worked on my nutrition and was finally ready to attempt the Iron-distance.

Part of my motivation for undertaking this endeavor was to prove that I was just as healthy as everyone else. In reality, I was not. That didn’t matter though. This was a dream of mine and Crohn’s disease was not going to stand in my way.

The physical part would present a unique challenge since it is not uncommon for well-conditioned athletes to experience some type of GI distress related to endurance activities. Exercising non stop for thirteen plus hours has a way of wreaking havoc on even the healthiest of digestive systems and mine was far from perfect.

The mental challenge would be very symbolic of the way that I had lived my life. There would be pain along the way which would need to be overcome by a strong positive attitude that would not let me hurt. Dealing with Crohn’s for twenty four years had prepared me for this.

I would not be the first Crohn’s patient to complete an Ironman. In fact, I find John Dermengian’s feat of completing an Ironman with an ostomy bag far more impressive. However, it was important for me to prove to others with this disease that leading an active lifestyle does not end with your diagnosis.

My goal was to swim 1.2 miles, bike 112 miles and ran a full marathon before the midnight cutoff. There would be plenty of porta-pottys along the way to help me through the race.

I set out to live my dream and prove that “anything is possible” even if you have Crohn’s disease.