My Crohn's Disease Confession: Margalit

I'm Margalit. I use they/them pronouns, and this is My Crohn's Confession. I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was 15 years old. So, at this point, I'm a veteran of dramatic Crohn's experiences in and out of the hospital. And now, I try to laugh about them, but at the time, they were not funny. The day of 13 IVs, the ambulance ride to the emergency surgery, the time I had to take a taxi to the ER, the time I woke up in the middle of a colonoscopy, spending hours last week on the phone begging for my medication. It's not easy, and I don't think you should overlook or undervalue the difficulties of medical traumas. What scares me most about living with this chronic condition is access and affordability of healthcare. Paying for medication and procedures and doctor's visits is unsustainable right now. And in order to maintain the wellness, it's something that I need access to. And living with uncertainty is just part of the deal with chronic illness, and it's scary. I'm not sure I'd say there's a silver lining to having chronic illness, but it sure has taught me a lot. I've learned about resilience, and strength, and to be my own best friend and teammate. I've learned about the importance of laughter and of rest. So, those are all good takeaways, good things to learn in this life.