You see I sit here a week before my husband has a colonoscopy, and I'm scared. I'm not scared because they are putting him under, I'm scared of what they will find. Oh you shouldn't be scared you say. Well, you see, my husband has Crohn's, I've posted about it here before. It's nothing new, but every year it's changing. The disease is progressing, the treatments aren't working, he's miserable, and that's his new "normal." Normal to most of us is living life, having fun, visiting our friends and family. To someone with Crohn's thats not normal. Normal to a Crohnie is staying home, not going anywhere, spending countless hours on the toilet every day, sleeping a ton, and just being lifeless. There is no life to have, friends get neglected (not by choice), family fights for the Crohnie, and people suffer. No one's family asks for this, and sometimes it comes unexpectedly. My husband is a 33 year old man who has had the life sucked out of him, simple things he can't enjoy. There are many times I go to family functions by myself because he's in too much pain to leave the house. Crohnie's scout out a bathroom everywhere they go, it's normal to them.
Many caregivers experience "caregiver's fatigue", if you don't know what that is, look it up, it's real and it affects me all the time. I not only care for a very energetic 5 year old and our home, I care for a sick husband. He says sympathy isn't always enough. What can I do for him? I can raise awareness. This week, December 1-7, is Crohn's and Colitis awareness week. I'm making my stance known that I raise awareness for my husband, his friends, and many others around the world who are suffering. Yes, there are meds to treat this horrible disease, but they too come with crazy side effects. There is no known cure!!! You want to help my husband find a cure, visit Cure for IBD to see how YOU can make a difference. They say it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to find a cure. 100% of any donation you make goes to fund research. The gracious gentleman who created this organization didn't do it for himself, and he isn't making a penny off of anyone's donations. Everything that is raised goes straight to research. We as a Cure for IBD family have raised over $100,000, lets keep that going.
I sit here today and wonder what the future holds for my family. How many more hospitalizations will we have to endure? How many more treatments will not work? Will they find a cure in time? Will he be gone from our lives forever one day because of this horrid disease? Will my son be left wondering why daddy is gone? Will I have to create a legend for Stephen to remember his daddy by? Will I be left a widow at a young age? These are questions that hit me everyday, they are not fun ones and they suck. This disease has taken the lives of many and it won't quit until we find a cure. Why am I so adamant about this? Because something has to give for my husband and his friends all around the world. Bottom line is WE NEED TO FIND A CURE!!!
If you know someone suffering with this disease or Ulcerative Colitis, hug them and make them aware that you are there for them. They need you. They need your love, support, friendship, and time. They need a shoulder to cry on, a visit at the hospital, a ride to the doctors office. They just need YOU!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment