When you feel like giving up, don't!

I often get told, “I don’t know how you do it” It’s simple - I have no choice. You have two options when you're diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. You go through the process of acceptance and learn to live your best life alongside it, or you give up.

Giving up is not an option for me.

I know there have been times when it probably looked like I had given up, but in reality, I was just doing what I needed to do, to get through.

Little energy and time to socialize

I spent a long time not socializing and just going to work, getting home, eating and sleeping. That's all I had the energy for... I had not given up. God knows, sometimes I felt like it, but I did not.

I was still on my IBD teams’ case constantly. I was waiting to start treatments, for referrals, for surgery dates. I was waiting until I felt well enough to be able to get up and tackle life again.

You can only work with the tools you've got, and my tools were definitely a little bit worse for wear. You have to listen to what your body needs you to do.

I have no choice but to live my life with UC

When people hear my story, they often say, "I don't know how you do it." Some people tell me how strong I am. I don't feel that way. I feel like I'm just doing my life the only way I know how to.

Giving up and accepting less than what you deserve should never be an option. What you feel you can achieve may look different to how it did before diagnosis, but that doesn't make it bad.

Challenges and life changes as a result

Even as a “well” person, life changes you as you go through it. The challenges you face may change your direction, but that doesn't mean the destination won't be just as good, or even better!

I worked in a factory when I was diagnosed. My diagnosis and surgery shortly after taught me that life is too short to waste it. (No, I don't class the aforementioned "resting" as a waste. I was gathering my energy.)

The shock of life not being limitless pushed me into better things. Into focusing on what would make me happy.

I took voluntary redundancy and looked for different work. I did an apprenticeship in marketing and trained in social media account management. I worked my way up to managing the team. I started again, at 23, at the bottom of the ladder, earning very little money so that I could be happy in the long run.

Sharing and supporting others

I took my anger and frustration about having IBD and made it into something positive. I started supporting others like me, using social media, so they never had to feel as isolated as I had. I started blogging and being open about what my life with ulcerative colitis was like.

That has opened so many doors for me. My passion drove me. The community was my fuel. Now I am able to earn from IBD and ostomy support work. Writing and working with healthcare companies to bridge the gap between them and patients...

I am incredibly happy with where my life is at, and that has all been because of the path my ulcerative colitis journey pushed me towards. Having IBD doesn’t mean I can’t work hard and go after what I want. It just means I have to be mindful of my limits.