30 Year Struggle

I’ve had a thirty year struggle with Crohn’s disease. When I was around ten years old I used to get bad stomach pains. Sometimes I’d vomit. Other times I’d leave the dinner table and my family would make fun of me. They thought I was making it up.

I come from a large family...I have three younger brothers and I’m one of eleven cousins. At the time, Crohn’s was not common. Certainly, it was the last thing anyone expected. My father used to tell me I must have the flu. I believed him..not knowing any better. My mother would say ‘You’re fine. Everyone in my family is fine. What could be wrong?’

They were my parents. They had to know better than I did. Finally, on a trip to Florida, after drinking a glass of milk, I became violently ill. I was puking up bile. The stomach pain was really intense. I woke up my parents. ‘Go to bed,’ they said. ‘You’re fine.’ But I wasn’t fine. And I couldn’t sleep. I needed to go to the hospital.

I woke up my grandma. She believed me. She made me tea and sat up all night with me. In the morning, she told my parents to take me to the hospital. They reluctantly agreed.

My diagnosis

At the hospital, I was told I had appendicitis. They operated immediately. After surgery, the surgeon said ‘Matt, you don’t have appendicitis. You have Crohn’s disease. But we removed your appendix anyway.’ I guess it could have been worse. They could have removed my genitals. But I had a lot to learn about Crohn’s! And a lot of it was difficult to confront.

Honestly, it’s been a thirty year struggle. In total I’ve had three surgeries, been on countless drugs, had every procedure in the book, have had quite a few intestinal blockages—and yet—through it all—I haven’t lost my sense of humor.

It is so important to be able to laugh at yourself

No way of coping, for me, at least, works better. My 99 year old grandma, who recently passed away, always used to say to me ‘laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone.’ Sometimes, it’s hard to laugh; I get it; this condition can be hellish. But when you can—when you find a way to make light of it all—it can really make all the difference.

It is for this reason that, among other things, I became a standup comedian—one who jokes about his condition. I’ve done stand-up as an opening act for Robert Klein at the Garden City Hotel as well as at other CCFA events, and, at this juncture, have performed in seven countries.

Recently, I was granted The Mission Award, by The Long Island Chapter of the CCF, where I released an original rap about my condition called the ‘Illest MC.’ For the video I created an alter ego, Lil Crohn$y, since that best describes me. That’s also my screen name on here...because it’s a catchy name and because—let’s face it—having this condition is hardcore yo! That’s right...we sufferers are straight up gangsters!

I hope we can laugh together, cry together, and share insights into this difficult condition. Certainly, I’ve gained insights over the years I believe many will find helpful and rewarding. Thanks for reading my story and feel free to reach out to me and share yours!