She was always supportive and didn’t moan or groan. Carly in particular was there for me when I had to skip meals, pause films or get up in agony night after night. My wife and my other family members have been my rocks throughout everything I have been through. Having her support through all of these years has been amazing, and I don’t know what I would have done without her. She says that finding out didn’t change her opinion or love for me at all. I don’t remember when I told her about it, but she does. Not only did we still have to face some negative attitudes to same-sex relationships, but I also had this hidden disease that I needed to share with my partner. To begin with, our relationship was not all easy. It was there that I met Carly, who was to become my wife. No matter how much you tell someone, you can’t make them truly understand.įortunately, in one of my periods of remission, I was able to go to college. The happiest day of Sarah’s life My rocks Eventually, all oral medication stopped working, so I had to go onto biologics, which were injected at first and then given intravenously. Every couple of years, I had to change medications as my body stopped responding to a particular treatment. Over the next few years, my disease was rarely in remission, and I had numerous hospital stays. The steroids made my face swell and gave me insomnia and mood swings. There are a variety of drugs that can help settle your symptoms and keep them in remission, but they do not always work, and they can have unpleasant side effects.Īt first, I was put onto strong medications, including steroids. I learned the hard way that ulcerative colitis comes in flares of severe symptoms, in between periods of remission, where the symptoms disappear. We were sent home with lots of leaflets and information, but it was so much to take in, especially for a 16-year-old. I had never heard of ulcerative colitis, and neither had my parents. Sarah had her major surgery in April 2019 Taking it all in After a week of tests, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease. This was the first time I had really needed any medical attention since having my tonsils out as a young child, and it was very scary. This was very difficult, as there was no one my age on any of the wards, which made it an even more frightening and lonely time.ĭuring my hospital stay, I had to go through lots of invasive tests, such as colonoscopies. I even join in myself every now and again too.Īs I had just turned 16, I had to go onto the adult ward. I love it, especially seeing the athletes progress and gain new skills. I now coach 35 athletes, aged from 5 to 27 years old, each week. After surgery, I didn’t think I’d be able to cheer anymore, but even though I retired from competitive cheerleading in 2018, I created my own cheerleading squad with my best friend a few months after surgery. There’s so much I absolutely love about cheerleading, from making great friends to competing with others-and just generally gaining some amazing memories. I took up cheerleading before I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, I carried on while I was living with the condition, and I’ve kept doing it since I’ve had my stoma. Cheerleading has been a huge part of my life since I was 11 years old.
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