Other voices

So far, this blog has included lots of posts about my own personal journey with IBD.  The mister has also written on what it is like to marry a sick person.  While of course we think our insights are brilliant, there are 1.4 million Americans living with IBD and each of them have family members, which means there are a whole lot of people with their own stories.  This year for Kansas City we are fortunate enough to have two local honored heros for our team.  They are both college students--Jenna has Crohn's and Peter has ulcerative colitis.  I'm so incredibly proud of both of them for sharing their stories and being a part of Team Challenge.  When I was in college I did everything I could to hide my illness so I am in awe of their bravery--they really are heros!  So without further ado, here are their stories, in their own words, as published on the Kansas City Team Challenge website: 

Meet Kansas City's 2012 Summer Season Honorees

Peter Graham
Peter is a 22-year-old student majoring in classical guitar performance at the University of Missouri Kansas City's Conservatory of Music. He is a fun-loving guy and likes to hangout with his friends at school and talk aboutanything music.

On January 20, 2012, a CAT scan revealed free air in his abdomen, which showed evidence of a perforation in his digestive system. He had an emergency surgery that night and most of his colon was removed.

The procedure saved his life, and in the next 3 weeks he went on to have 8 more trips to the operating room to clean out his abdomen with saline solution and to gradually pull the fascia together with the aid of a Wittmann Patch.

The acute illness was due to toxic megacolon, a life-threatening complication of ulcerative colitis. He lost 22 pounds during this traumatic and painful time, and is now in a rehab facility doing physical and occupational therapy, retraining his muscles and learning how to adjust to life as a young man with the recent diagnosis of ulcerative colitis.

Peter needs all the help and support we can give him at this time.


Jenna Olitsky
Hi, I am Jenna Olitsky, from Leawood, Kansas. Currently, I am a junior studying at The University of Kansas, in Lawrence, majoring in Psychology and Pre-Law, with a minor in Jewish Studies and a certification in Global Awareness.

At school, I am heavily involved, whether it is in my sorority, Sigma Delta Tau, as the Vice President of Scholarship and Community Service, or as well a member of Student Union Activities, planning concerts and comedy shows on campus, Student Senate, a member of Right's Committee as the secretary, and a founder of Students Helping Honduras at KU, an international student organization that builds elementary schools for underprivileged villages in Honduras.

Outside of campus, I am a member of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's National Youth Leadership Council, and work along side 14 other college students around the country to raise awareness and promote the mission CCFA. Besides that, I absolutely love to travel, especially to volunteer in third-world countries and am a huge Kansas Men's Basketball fan! (Rock Chalk!)

I have personally dealt with Crohn's Disease since 2005, during my freshman year of high school, and it has affected my classes, social activities, and other aspects of my life, but nothing that I can't over come!