I Just Thought Everyone Was Like This...

What did I know? Asking for a bathroom pass in 6th grade was humiliating (although I doubt I knew that word then). So sneaking out of the classroom became my M.O.

Likewise through high school--at least there were passing periods (yes, I know the irony of a "passing" period) although restrooms were frequently locked.

Again, I just thought everyone had the same issues.

At university, I could identify the least-used bathrooms on campus (the Music Building, if you want to know. What was it about musicians--did they never need to go?).

Worse still was the army--shared planks with four poop holes. And the drill sergeants didn't really care about your digestive schedule.

And when we were close to a diagnosis, I was nowhere near a facility that kept accessible records--a hospital in Paris, a first-aid station on a mountaintop in Switzerland.

Finally got the word in grad school--Crohn's disease.

Then came about 15 years of treatments, hospitalizations, NG tubes, weight loss (5'11", 127 pounds).

1985--two surgeries and--what do you know--finally got a handle on this. And here we are--over 30 years later and I've become an Advanced Open Water Scuba Diver, a professional actor, a business owner, a university instructor in the U.S. and China, an orchestra manager, etc., etc.

So--to many of you who've been diagnosed in your teens or 20's--there's a life out there still to be lived. It'll be tough, but keep your sense of humor (and note all the memorable bathrooms you've visited!). I promise--it'll all turn out OK--eat right, exercise, get rest, and give your friends and family credit for understanding you. And, most of all, good luck.