Ulcerative Colitis: The Impact Of My Trip To Disney World

When I think back to my trip to Disney World, the biggest thing I remember isn’t the Mickey Mouse hats, the amazing castle, or the princesses. It was our map with all the bathrooms circled in red. The constant waiting for my mom so I could go ride the spinning teacups or Space Mountain. I used to get angry that my family always had to wait for her, but now I understand. It wasn’t her fault, it was her disease. Ulcerative Colitis was the biggest impact of my childhood. Not only did it affect my adolescence, it changed my outlook on life. My mom was diagnosed in May of 2005, I was in second grade and wasn’t fully capable of understanding the severity of this disease. Growing up, for me, was a lot different from other kids. I spent a lot of time in doctor’s offices and hospitals with my mom and older sister. Sitting in the waiting room with my sister and our puppy dog sticker books while my mom received her treatments was normal for me.

I was in the fourth grade crying and waiting for her, hoping she would be okay. All I remember is being so scared for her, fearing that I might have to grow up without a mother. She came out of surgery and was perfectly fine. She was left with an ileostomy bag, which is a bag attached to the small intestine on the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. That was one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to witness. Who else can say they have seen their mom’s small intestine? She went back to the hospital six months later and had it repaired on January 26th, 2009. She is perfectly healthy now and I thank the Lord every day for