Hall Family

Marathon #31 – 26.2 for the Hall Family

Amanda’s Story:

I have a lot to be thankful for, despite the impact IBD has had on my family.

I am thankful that the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation provided me with resources to understand what my loved ones were going through.

When I was 12-years-old, my stepmom, Julie, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I didn’t know much about it, other than it made her feel really awful sometimes and that she had tons of pills to take every day, along with IV medication every 6 weeks. I knew that she had good days and bad days, and sometimes the bad days really knocked her down. I have watched someone I love deal with the inconvenience, pain, fatigue, embarrassment and other direct and indirect symptoms of IBD for far too long. Later in life when my husband Ben was diagnosed with IBD during his first year of medical school, I thought I knew what that entailed…I thought wrong. I spent a ton of time on the Foundation’s website and am thankful that they have been a constant resource for our family. His UC morphed into something that felt impossible to fight – I was afraid it would take him away from me.

Since then, he has failed on every available medication available at the time, and has had several surgeries including the removal of his colon. I have watched over the years as the man I love fights a horrible battle, but has the courage and strength to personally fight back against IBD as a gastroenterologist. Early in our marriage, we were not sure if Ben would ever be healthy enough to be a father. We are extremely thankful that Ben is now in remission, and we have a young son and daughter.

I am thankful that my husband Ben has been healthy enough for us to start a family.

Being the wife of an IBD patient can come with a lot of worrying.  Every time Ben says he feels tired, I worry that he’s anemic again. Every time he says that his hands, knees, or any joints hurt, I worry that his Crohn’s disease might be progressing and the inflammation could be attacking his joints. Any sort of nausea or GI disturbance makes me worry that the inflammation in his intestines is worse, and that he may need more medications or even another surgery.

I am thankful for HOPE & support.

I got involved with the Foundation & Team Challenge when I felt completely lost and helpless to do anything to help Ben and Julie. I desperately needed some way to fight back against this demon that kept gnawing its way through Ben’s body and our lives. It has given me a sense of purpose and a support system like no other. It gave me another family of people who just “get it.” I didn’t know how to run, I didn’t know how to fundraise, and I found that both were much less hard when combined.

I love my husband more than I hate running, and I’ll run crazy distances and raise thousands of dollars until our children never have to worry about how hard IBD will knock their daddy down. I can’t let ANY of my family down and will keep running until we have cures. Eighteen surgeries later, Ben is doing well – but 18 surgeries is NOT a cure.

I am thankful for all of the support and knowledge the Foundation has given my family, as well as the HOPE they have given us for a future free from IBD.