IBD Awareness Month Recap!

We just want to say THANK YOU for partnering with us to spread awareness about IBD all month long this May. While awareness doesn’t end in May, we want to take a minute to revisit all the things the community shared this month about what living with IBD is really like.

Sharing YOUR Story - Through Polls!

Not everyone is interested in writing out their entire story so this month we asked you all to share your story through a series of polls! Here's what we found out:

64% of poll takers have Crohn's Disease and 18% have ulcerative colitis (but we also have representatives from the caregiver sphere as well as folks dealing with crohn's colitic, microscopic colitis, indeterminate colitis, behcet's disease, and diversion colitis!)19% of you were diagnosed when you were under 18 and 23% between 18 and 24 but we also have a contingent (24%!) who were diagnosed after they turned 45!When asked if anyone else in your family had IBD, the results were fairly split - 44% Yes, 42% No74% of you are dealing with other chronic illnessesAnd 60% have had surgery to deal with your IBDWant to weigh in with your own story? We're leaving the polls open!Spreading Awareness on FacebookMany people chose to spread awareness by downloading our Facebook frame and adding it to their Facebook profile photo! Quotes from the CommunityOne of our favorite parts of Awareness Month is hearing directly from YOU. Here are some of our favorite quotes from this month:"Thank goodness someone gets it!!! It sure helps !!!""Thank you sooooo much for shining a light on IBD!""Community is so important for anyone struggling with a chronic disease. Makes all the difference.""It so helps to hear the same experiences from other people - thank you to all for sharing!!!"Continuing to Raise Awareness All Year Long!Even though May is coming to an end, the Awareness doesn't have to!Here are a few ways to keep spreading your own advocacy and awareness throughout the year:Share Your Story! Want to talk about how you got diagnosed, how you cope, or any other aspect of living with IBD? Share your story with others! Ask and answer! Do you have a question about IBD - or perhaps you want to help answer others' questions? Stop by our Q&A tool and get started!