Nick is a quiet 13 year old boy who loves to do a variety of things such as playing baseball and basketball, fishing, hunting, crabbing, and doing a variety of crafts from drawing to building/creating things. On the outside you would say he is a typical kid, but it is what you cannot see that he hides so well. Nick has Crohn’s disease.
Nick was always quiet and nervous. So, when he started having diarrhea and sometimes blood in his stool, his family initially thought it was his nerves. However, when they realized he was not growing, they took him to see a specialist. He had his first colonoscopy in 2018 and that one only showed a dilated colon with a tight ileocecal valve that they could not get past and his biopsies were normal. Then, in May 2020 when he was still not getting any better and still not growing, he had another colonoscopy. That one confirmed he had Crohn’s disease in his distal ileum, the part of his bowel the first colonoscopy could not reach. That diagnosis was a blessing and a curse for Nick’s family. A blessing in that they finally knew what was wrong and could start treating it, but a curse in that it would take another 2 years to find a treatment that worked.
During that time, Nick endured learning to swallow pills, drink supplements, be on special diets, take shots sometimes weekly and get frequent blood work done. After multiple attempts to get different medications approved, Nick’s doctor found the one that worked the best for him. Just 4 months after starting that medication, he gained 20lbs and his family was ecstatic that he was finally growing!
Nick’s family watched him transform over the next few years. He was able to participate in activities he loved to do. He had more energy and was not taking naps anymore. He became used to the shots and labs. Most importantly, for Nick, he was growing and no longer had to be on a special diet or drink supplements.
Nick is still a shy kid who does not like to talk about his diagnosis to anyone. His family has been so grateful for all the work his doctor has done and all the research that has been done so that Nick could get the medication he needed. They have been supporters of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for just a few years, but plan to continue their support until a cure is found.
