My sister’s diagnosis with Crohn's took more than 2 years from
initial symptoms that started in 2013 shortly after she gave birth to her
daughter.  Within 5 months of giving birth Sarah had lost more than half
her weight and was now little over 7 stone.

Sarah
went from a bubbly active happy new mum to having no energy, losing her hair
crying and in constant pain. When she was not in the doctors, she was either in
bed or on the couch. Anything prescribed seem to make her worse. even iron
tablets made her sick. It was heart
breaking and very scary. After being on several courses of steroids Sarah manged to get her strength and energy levels
up enough to go colonoscopy, she also had to have too many blood tests and
scans to count. still not diagnosed. 

Sarah did not leave the house for fear
of being too far from a bathroom,
she had no energy to climb stairs and would be wiped out just walking to  the car to go anywhere so she
stayed indoors. She was now suffering on top of everything else with depression and severe anxiety about what lay ahead. 

After a suspected appendicitis scare and being admitted to hospital a scan
showed Sarah now had swelling due to infection in her bowels and intestine as
well as ulcers and pollop's that needed to be removed. She was put on a drip
and kept in for 3 days. She cried for the duration but stuck it out in the hope
of a diagnosis and being well enough to cope again once home.

in
Jan 2015 after being on antibiotics was booked in for yet another colonoscopy.
Sarah was worried about having another one, but it gave the results to confirm
Crohn's. 

After
years of medication changes, flare ups and constant pain in December 2021 Sarah
was rushed into hospital with a perforated bowel. Due to covid restrictions no
one could be with her or visit her. via face time we kept in touch and sat with
her, but she really fought through the tears fears and pain and had an
operation to repair and remove parts of both her intestines and bowl. The
result is at 29 years old Sarah had a stoma bag. It was a huge and risky surgery,
but she was determined again to get home and managed to be home Christmas
eve!!!! for anyone that knows the healing process this was incredible, and I
could not be more proud of Sarah. The adjustment to having a stoma was not easy
but she has smashed that too. now more than a year on you wouldn't even know
she has one. She truly is incredible, and the stoma has given her back her
freedom and life to an extent. 

Sarah
now has a full-time job which she is thriving in and making friends. She is
raising two beautiful happy girls as a single mum. To say she is my hero is an
understatement. As her older sister it has been tough to see her in pain and
not be able to take it for her. So my plan is to continue to support by raising
money and awareness so others don't have to struggle and diagnosis should not
take this long.