Dear Friends and Family:
I want to thank all of you who have gernerously donated to support the fight against Crohn's and Colitis. So many of us have a friend or family member who has been impacted by these terrible diseases that affect more than 1.3 million people in America. Together we have raised $5778 dollars to fight.
My goal is to break the $7000 mark before the end of this campaign. With 2 weeks left we are only $1222 from that goal. My ultimate goal is $10,000 can we do it?
My Request to you:
- If you can donate please do, this is an amazing organization that helps so many with Crohn's, colitis and other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
- If you've already donated or are unable, please share this information with your family your friends and facebook. Share my link: http://online.ccfa.org/goto/IronMatt
Why am I doing this?
I want to share a personal story of one man's ongoing battle with Crohn's disease. My friend Joseph is one of the many reasons that I'm out here fighting. On hard training days and days I don't want to get up to train I think of him and the countless others who have suffered far more than most of us can ever imagine. Please Help however you can.
Here are his words:
I was diagnosed 15 years ago. I was working on my second bachelors degree in Chattanooga, TN (what a coincidence!!!) when I had come home for Christmas break. I started having a lot of abdominal pain at that time but dismissed it to all the wonderful holiday treats I had enjoyed. I was hospitalized soon after returning and after two weeks in the hospital, I was diagnosed with Crohn's
I was in my last semester so I struggled and fought through it so I could graduate on time. The day of my last class I came home to Indiana to spend some time with my family and hopefully recover. My second day home I started having sever pain and ended up in the ER. They took me in for emergency surgery where they removed 22" of my intestine and a small portion of my colon. Since that time I have had 5 additional surgeries bringing the total to 6. My last two surgeries were met with severe complications, one requiring an additional surgery to repair a "leak" that was expelling into my pelvic cavity and causing near sepsis.
The battle has been never ending. I am currently experiencing one of the worst flares I have had in my 15 years. I am on IV feedings and have lost about 30 pounds. I am 6'1" and currently weigh 107 pounds. I was already ridiculously thin, but now I look like Celine Dion's body double!
Through all this I have gone on to get my Master's degree in Social Work and have worked full time despite the pain and other non-pleasantries that come along with the disease. I am a fighter and refuse to give up.
In my previous life (which I call B.C. "Before Crohn's") I was very athletic and energetic. Since then, my life has drastically changed. I keep a great attitude and have an awesome sense of humor which has helped me on this journey. I also have a great support system through my family and friends, without whom I do not think I would be here today.
Again, you have no idea what all you are doing means to me.
-Joseph
Together we are making a difference! On September 27th, I'll be out there swimming, biking and running 140.6+ miles to raise more awareness.
Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://online.ccfa.org/site/TR?px=3164789&pg=personal&fr_id=4670&et=kq4ZCEAmzN8oV94nt0dq-w&s_tafId=100310
If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://online.ccfa.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=1669efac8cdb1846c0550f16971e5a8a2170ed0537ccf32cebcbc7435140ece1
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