CCFA

When Joe was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 34, it was life changing for both of us. It altered our perception of the future, inspired us to legally marry, and jump started our running lifestyle. Many of you may recall that neither of us ever had an inkling or desire to run, but decided to take the plunge with Team Challenge – the half marathon training/fund raising program with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). We did that in 2008, running from Napa to Sonoma after raising $10,000. In Napa, we met other CCFA participants who would become friends for life. One of them is Jodie.

Jodie and I formed a great friendship, after knowing each other one short weekend in California, before she flew home to Montana, and I to Wisconsin. We’re the same age, and have many personality traits in common. Jodie and her brother experience debilitating flares of their Crohn’s disease that have required time in the hospital, surgeries, pain and missed time from living life. Jodie’s 12 year old son has now been diagnosed with Crohn’s and is suffering. His suffering is her suffering, and pains all of us who understand what it’s like to have an IBD (inflammatory bowel disease = Crohn’s & Colitis). Jodie continues to run and raise money for CCFA to fund research into finding a cure Crohn’s & Colitis. This June she will run the Kona Marathon as part of Team Challenge, while aiming to raise $5,000. I’m asking you to consider donating to her fundraising effort to help her and her family, Joe and his cousins who have IBD’s, and the people you know (or don’t know you know) who have IBD’s. If you choose to make a donation, go to Jodie’s site : http://www.active.com/donate/kona11national/konaJDelay and select a donation amount. As you make your donation, there will be a spot where you can leave a message, indicating your connection to Joe & me, so Jodie won’t be left wondering who the heck you are – and by the way, Jodie doesn’t know I’m asking for your help. A donation to Jodie is the same as a donation to Joe. It would mean a lot!

Below, I’ve copied some answers to general FAQ’s if you’re interested in knowing more about IBD’s.

While inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a perplexing group of diseases that tends to be difficult to diagnose and treat, researchers have collected a significant amount of information concerning the genetics, distribution, and contributing environmental factors for IBD. Overall, IBD is a disease of white persons living in developed countries and tends to be diagnosed most commonly in adolescents and young adults.

While Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) do appear to run in families, the connection is not always direct (such as from parent to child). The risk of inheriting IBD is generally low, except in cases where both parents have a form of IBD.

At what age is IBD most common?:
IBD is often considered a disease of adolescents and young adults because it is most commonly first diagnosed in people between the ages of 15 and 25 years (at least one source indicates peak incidence to be between 15 to 35 years). Of the estimated 1.4 million people in the United States who have IBD, 10% are children. At about age 50 there is another increase in the diagnosis of IBD.

Is IBD more common in one gender?:
IBD appears to affect both genders equally.

In what geographic areas is IBD more prevalent?:
IBD is more common in:
· Developed countries
· Urban areas
· Northern climates
UC is most common in the United States and in northern European countries and least common in Japan and South Africa.

How many people have IBD?:
It is widely estimated that between 1 and 1.4 million people in the United States have IBD. In Europe, the number of people with IBD is estimated to be 2.2 million.
In the United States, the prevalence of IBD is:
· UC: 100 to 200 people per 100,000 people
· CD: 30 to 100 people per 1000,000 people

Does ethnicity affect the risk of developing IBD?:
· Ashkenazi Jews are more likely to develop IBD.
· IBD is more common in white people, but the incidence in African Americans is increasing.