Making #IBDVisible Through #LIGHTtheWORLD

Two years ago I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Ironically, it was during IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) awareness week which is the first week of December. This year, I want to help make #IBDVisible.

My personal experience of IBD (during a flare):

• Some days you go to the bathroom over 30 times a day
• You bleed a lot, and worry if the toilet doesn't flush anyone who sees it will think you are dying
• Going to the bathroom is worse than childbirth
• You don't sleep at night because you are constantly running to the bathroom
• You are afraid to leave your house because you need to ALWAYS be near the bathroom. Trying to grocery shop with 2 small children and IBD is a nightmare.
• There is nothing more mortifying than having an accident in public
• You completely change your diet: cut out all sugar, grains, and processed food. No more easy meals or eating out. Everything you eat now has to be made from scratch.
• You have more financial stress and have to deal with all the craziness that is health insurance. Each dose of my current medication costs more than a new car. We will hit our out-of-pocket maximum each and every year.
• It is a chronic disease that never goes away. I am currently in remission, but have noticed that I have less energy than I used to have.

IBD, like many illnesses, is mostly invisible. People suffer silently. IBD has blessed me to have greater compassion and empathy for others. I believe everyone has a burden they are carrying, and it is so important to treat everyone with kindness and love.

Today's #LIGHTtheWORLD message is that "Jesus Healed the Sick and So Can You". Today I am grateful for my colitis. A crazy thing to say considering my flare lasted over a year. But I can testify that Jesus does heal the sick, and that we can be His hands here on earth. I felt the love of God for me as I was ministered to by others. I learned how to better serve by the service given to me. My friends didn't ask if I needed any help; they asked me if I would be willing to let them come clean my house. Others followed promptings and shared information with me that helped me find relief through nutrition. My angelic mother was always there, night or day, whenever I needed help with my small children. Over and over, I saw the hand of God blessing me through the hands of others.

I feel like how Daniel must have felt after emerging from the lion's den. God did not take away the trial, but He preserved me through a trial that should have torn me to shreds. Looking back, I am still amazed at how unscathed I am. My doctor says I am the only patient that he has referred to a surgeon that has not had to go through with the surgery. I have experienced none of the negative side effects of being on steroids much longer than the recommended amount of time. Our finances have also escaped unscathed. Whenever a large bill came our way, a way would be provided to pay.

My colitis has been a refiner's fire for me. I emerged from it with greater faith in my Heavenly Father and in my Savior Jesus Christ. I gained a more personal understanding of the Atonement, and a greater hope in the Resurrection. My heart has been filled with greater charity.

Jesus healed the sick, and He still heals today through us.