Hi! My name is Madison I, and I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 10. I remember I first started experiencing symptoms around my birthday in September 2010. I was using the bathroom frequently and had unbearable stomach aches. That spring I lost 30 lbs. in less than two weeks, and that’s when I went to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to see what was wrong with me. After having an endoscopy I was diagnosed with my Crohn’s. It didn’t sink in at first because it is hard to wrap your head around having a chronic and incurable illness. However once I was put on steroids I understood the severity of my condition. Although I regained my weight, I bloated up like a balloon. So much so that nobody at school recognized me after summer break. I began to hate myself and the way I looked, and developed severe anxiety and depression. I lost all my motivation and gave up on my dreams. However my family and close friends were able to motivate me to keep going and soon I began to slowly regain my confidence and health.

After finally reaching remission at 14, I joined the cheer squad and swim team at my school. I also joined a local theater group and started to participate in clubs at my high school. I was happy with myself and what I was doing. In fact, I decided that I would start advocating for Crohn’s and Colitis by holding a bake sale during lunch. It was super successful and I raised almost $500 the first time. I decided then and there that I would continue to spread IBD Awareness and fundraise as much as I could, so that I could inspire other sick kids to never give up on their dreams. Since then I’ve raised about $3,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis, spoken on the radio and news about my journey with the illness, and am the voice of my cartoon persona “Maddy” in an informational video about IBD. In the future I hope to continue educating people on this autoimmune disorder and inspire other kids with IBD to never lose hope.

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• Name: Madison I.Madison Isaac
• Condition(s): Crohn’s Disease
• Age at Treatment: 10 years old
• Age Today: 09/02/200023 Years

Hi! My name is Madison I, and I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at the age of 10. I remember I first started experiencing symptoms around my birthday in September 2010. I was using the bathroom frequently and had unbearable stomach aches. That spring I lost 30 lbs. in less than two weeks, and that’s when I went to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to see what was wrong with me. After having an endoscopy I was diagnosed with my Crohn’s. It didn’t sink in at first because it is hard to wrap your head around having a chronic and incurable illness. However once I was put on steroids I understood the severity of my condition. Although I regained my weight, I bloated up like a balloon. So much so that nobody at school recognized me after summer break. I began to hate myself and the way I looked, and developed severe anxiety and depression. I lost all my motivation and gave up on my dreams. However my family and close friends were able to motivate me to keep going and soon I began to slowly regain my confidence and health.

After finally reaching remission at 14, I joined the cheer squad and swim team at my school. I also joined a local theater group and started to participate in clubs at my high school. I was happy with myself and what I was doing. In fact, I decided that I would start advocating for Crohn’s and Colitis by holding a bake sale during lunch. It was super successful and I raised almost $500 the first time. I decided then and there that I would continue to spread IBD Awareness and fundraise as much as I could, so that I could inspire other sick kids to never give up on their dreams. Since then I’ve raised about $3,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis, spoken on the radio and news about my journey with the illness, and am the voice of my cartoon persona “Maddy” in an informational video about IBD. In the future I hope to continue educating people on this autoimmune disorder and inspire other kids with IBD to never lose hope.