Six years ago, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s is a gastrointestinal disease that causes abdominal pain and exhaustion, along with a higher risk of colon cancer. For me, it also caused narrowing at the end of my small intestine that had to be removed through surgery.

When I was initially going through treatment, it was disorienting. I was constantly exhausted, which made it hard to be emotionally present. As I had more appointments, doctors started talking about the risk of an ostomy bag and cancer. I felt scared, frustrated, and confused.