I need your help! I need to raise $3,500 dollars before December 4th, 2011 for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. If I do that I have to do a half marathon (13.1 miles) in Las Vegas. In the mean time, I have to stick to an intense training schedule because, as of now, I've only ever run 3 miles at a time. Wait..that sounds awful...why am I doing this? Oh yeah, Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis really suck. EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS! I WILL THINK YOU'RE SUPER COOL FOR DONATING ONE DOLLAR.

Below is the copy and pasted description of IBD, but I would sum it up by saying it's just a really horrible, gross disease that you hopefully don't have. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (the less bad of the two) when I was 17. My family doctor didn't know what was wrong with me and so I suffered with intense abdominal pain, that kept me from going to school, for weeks until I finally went to the emergency room and they did some tests.

Since then I've flared about once a year, sometimes a flare last months, depending on how good my medical insurance is, my current doctor and how I respond to medication. It made me consider not going abroad in college and maybe I shouldn't have! The last year I spent abroad I was flaring when I got there and stayed uncomfortable and in pain for months before seeking help and when I finally got it under control I flared again and ended up in my room (with a fever, pain and urgency to go to the bathroom about 15 times a day) for weeks, not being able to leave my room to find the right doctor or the money to pay for one. I felt helpless and angry that I needed help. Every time I flare I miss out on opportunities and don't want to explain why. I stop doing anything social that's not near a bathroom or requires a long commute. I feel incredibly embarrassed because I'm getting up to go to the bathroom again and because I can't just deal with the pain and get on with my life.

The symptoms of these diseases are awful, but if you don't have a chronic disease it's hard to understand how it can affect the rest of your life too. Low self esteem is a big issue that often leads to serious depression. When someone flares it affects their mood, their friendships, their love life and everything else. Even after a flare things are hard. The pain continues for a couple more weeks while I start taking prednisone that includes even more horrible symptoms including depression, fatigue, increased appetite, weight gain, osteoporosis, hunchback, excess hair growth..ect...ect... That always creates a second round of unhappiness. From the outside I look healthy, but people think I'm crazy for being depressed, never being full or being tired all the time. And even when I'm all done with that, no one understands why sleep and healthy eating is really important to staying flare free and I'm constantly worried about my health insurance. Right now I have none and if I flare it will costs me thousands of dollars. This stresses me out, making it much more likely I'll flare.

Are you convinced it's awful yet? Let me remind you that compared to everyone else who has Crohn's or Colitis, my case is not that serious.

I've never known anyone else with the disease, mostly because no one wants to talk about it. This has made me feel very alone when I've been sick. But it's understandable that people don't talk about their bloody stools at parties, which is why I've joined this project - to raise awareness and help find a cure or at least improve the lives of people suffering. Help me help me and people like me!

Copy and pasted description:

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are collectively known as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Crohn's disease is a chronic (ongoing) disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Although it can involve any area of the GI tract, it most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon. Ulcerative colitis on the other hand, affects only the colon. There are no areas of normal intestine between the areas of diseased intestine. In contrast, such so-called "skip" areas may occur in Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis affects only the innermost lining of the colon, whereas Crohn's disease can affect the entire thickness of the bowel wall.

It is estimated that as many as 1.6 million Americans have IBD; however, many more suffer in silence due to potential embarrassment and alienation (not like me, if you've been around me while I've flared, you know about it). Crohn's disease may occur in people of all ages, but it is primarily a disease of adolescents and young adults, affecting mainly those between 15 and 35. However, Crohn's disease can also occur in people who are 70 or older and in young children as well. In fact, 10 percent of those affected -- or an estimated 100,000 -- are youngsters under the age of 18. On average, people are diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in their mid-30s, although the disease can occur at any age. (If only I could have been diagnosed in my 30s!)

As a member of Team Challenge, I have a coach, a training program, and teammates to support me. I have committed to a training schedule with additional trainings with my team on the weekends, and I’ve promised to raise $3,500 in donations to The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.