Honorees

Honorees

Honored Heroes share their stories to let other patients know they are not alone on their journeys — because no one should face the challenges and uncertainty of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in isolation. Through their stories, Honorees raise awareness of these diseases, raise funds to support the Foundation’s mission and inspire hope in those living with IBD.

To nominate a Take Steps Honoree, please complete this form.

ROCKY

Rocky is a 16-year-old who is determined to show other kids with IBD that they are not alone! Rocky was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 10 years old. Her journey started in 2018 when Rocky was having frequent and extreme stomach pains, coupled with terrible anxiety and stress. Like many IBD patients, she and her family knew little of what was happening and were very scared. After several doctor visits and a lot of tests, her pediatric gastroenterologist finally diagnosed her with ulcerative colitis. The diagnoses hit Rocky’s father particularly hard, having witnessed his own mother struggle with the same disease.

Rocky was admitted into the hospital in November 2018 with an extreme flare up of her UC. Unfortunately, even after being released from the hospital, she continued to struggle with finding the right treatments. For years she tried different medications, starting with the mildest drugs to the strongest…still nothing worked. Finally, in early 2020 she found a biologic that started working and changed her life. Despite how sick and terrible she felt during that time, Raquel had a smile on her face and kept her great sense of humor. One of the biggest things that helped her was seeing others' smile, and that continued to help bolster her spirits through her flare up. She is now sixteen on the road to remission and is making up for the things she missed when she was sick.

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has been a big part of her IBD journey. Rocky has gone to Camp Oasis, the Foundation’s summer camp exclusively with kids with IBD. She also started a Take Steps Team Called Bristol #3, which is aptly named after the ideal stool type IBD patients aim for!  

Rocky is not only an advocate for IBD patients, but for all kids and teens struggling with mental health issues and anxiety. For Rocky, being the honored hero means that she gets to show other people that they are not alone, and even though everyone’s IBD journey looks different, we are all in this together!

EMILY ROSENTHAL

Emily is proud to share and dedicate her Honored Hero status to her late father, Dr. Elliot Joel Reichbach. At age 18, Elliot fell very ill with Crohn’s and in 1958, there weren’t effective treatments. Fortunately he was able to have surgery and lived a symptom-free life until his passing in 2020. Suffering so much as a teen and wanting to help others like him, he decided to attend medical school and become a gastroenterologist. He did his Residency at the University of Chicago, under the famed Joseph B. Kirsner. He had an esteemed gastroenterology & internal medicine practice for 33 years, alongside his partner Dr. Frederick Shuster--chairman of the Miami chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.  

Emily, was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 15,  but has been fortunate to not have suffered with many symptoms. Her physician Dr. Donald Abrahm gave Emily wonderful news in December 2023—her Crohn’s was in remission and she could stop taking daily medication!

Emily has participated in various cities’ Take Steps over the last 10 years. Last year, she was the second highest fundraiser on “The A Team”. This year, she has started her very own team, Mission: Remission!

Emily now considers herself a “California Girl” by way of Queens, New York (birthplace), Miami Lakes, Florida (hometown), and Japan (semester abroad and post-college stint as an English teacher). She has been married for 16 years and is a beloved aunt to 2 nieces and 2 nephews. For work, she is the Director of Marketing Operations for a Sotheby’s International Realty team.  For fun, Emily enjoys volunteering, karaoke, hosting theme parties, and watching dark comedies. We love her passion for and dedication to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation!

DR. MOW

“It is such an honor for me to be a 2024 OC Take Steps Honored Hero. I’ve been involved with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation since my IBD fellowship and feel strongly about the positive influence it has and the resources it provides this community.  

Caring for kids and young adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease has been an interest of mine since medical school and lead me to pursue a career in Pediatric Gastroenterology. I take diagnosing these chronic uncurable diseases seriously. Over the past several decades I have seen transformative therapies become available for our patients and the overall well being of our patients rise. With the disease more treatable than in previous decades, the future is bright. 

Every year, I am overjoyed to be able to volunteer at Camp Oasis, California as a Co-Medical Director. This camp is a special place where kids and teens with IBD can come, have fun, make friends and build a community. Many of our patients have no close contacts or family members with these diseases, so when they meet an entire camp of kids and counsellors with IBD, a common bond forms and a community develops. With that community comes resources, research and the hope for cures.   

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation is an important resource for our families for advocacy, support, research and knowledge. Take steps helps build the resources needed to support this community in every way we can. Thank you for the opportunity to continue to advocate for the IBD community!”