Conquering Crohn’s disease
Calgary university student won’t be slowed by bowel disease
It’s been six years since Ashley Poffenroth began her painful, agonizing journey with Crohn’s disease — one that started in high school with multiple surgeries, the removal of 15 centimetres of her lower intestine and learning to walk again.
Today the 21-year-old Calgarian is active in dance and volleyball, travels the world and is finishing her fourth year as a biology student at Queen’s University. Thanks to a $5,000 scholarship recently awarded to her by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, Poffenroth is planning to attend nursing school next year, inspired by the medical staff who helped her get her life back.
She’s one of only seven students across the country honoured this year by the AbbVie IBD scholarship program for their courage in facing inflammatory bowel disease.
“These are students with IBD who have overcome substantial challenges to get into university, dealing with agonizing pain and taking time off for surgery, but have become good ambassadors and strived to reach their full potential,” says Dr Kevin Glasgow, a physician and CEO of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
“The selection process is very intensive. We have a panel of specialists who whittle down the hundreds of applications we get to select the most compelling stories. We’re in our second year of the program and currently looking at ways to offer more scholarships.”
About one in 150 Canadians have inflammatory bowel disease, which includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It has no known cause or cure.
Much more common in indus- trialized western countries, these diseases of the gastrointestinal tract cause intestinal tissue to become inflamed and ulcerated, leading to bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue and diarrhea, a higher likelihood of colorectal cancer and, in the case of Crohn’s disease, a shorter life expectancy. It can also cause problems with the joints, eyes and skin.
Canada has among the highest rates of people with inflammatory bowel disease in the world, as well as one of the highest numbers of new cases every year. To date, the foundation has directed more than $82 million toward advances in research, education, and awareness. However, IBD still suffers from a relatively low profile and, subsequently, low funding levels compared to diseases that are nowhere near as common, says Glasgow.
“Not so long ago, we didn’t talk about diseases like this because there’s a stigma, an embarrassment factor, involved. But as we move forward, we’re getting more attention,” he says. There have also been new developments in stem cell technology that may hold the key to a cure.
Thanks to medications and a healthy lifestyle, Poffenroth is now in remission and leads an active life on campus, with a parttime job on the side. She can recall the exact moment she refused to let the disease take control of her. It was a year into her journey, shortly after a major operation that left her with a 13 centimetre incision in her stomach and nearly no abdominal muscles.
“I had a meeting with my school counsellor and she was adamant about giving me an elevator key since I had trouble walking and carrying my books up the stairs,” she says. “And I absolutely refused to take that key. I was so sick of hearing the word ‘no.’
“And so I said, ‘I will. I will take my books to class even if I’m 15 minutes late.’ That was a big mental turnaround for me.”
November is Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Month in Canada. For more information, visit ccfc. ca or ibdscholarship.ca.