Mother, daughter cope with Crohn's
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The diagnosis of an incurable disease changes the life of the patient, and the lives of their loved ones.
For two Hillsboro women, giving support and compassion to community members has become a passion, as they try to raise funds and awareness for a disease that has afflicted their family.
Kim Howard and her daughter, Dawn Talbott, both suffer from Crohn’s Disease – an incurable digestive disorder of the intestines. According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, the exact cause is unknown. Some studies indicate there is a genetic link. Symptoms associated with the disease includes severe pain and abdominal cramping, and digestive issues, among others. While there is medication and treatments, the only permanent treatment is removal of the colon.
Talbott spoke to The Highland County Press this week from a bed in Highland District Hospital, after she had been admitted over the weekend following a flare-up from the disease. “This is too important,” Talbott said. “We need to talk about this, so people out there are aware of it.”
Howard was diagnosed 20 years ago with Crohn’s disease, and Talbott was diagnosed in 1999, when she was a senior at Hillsboro High School. “I had to miss a lot of school that year,” Talbott said.
Both women have gone through periods of remission where they experience no symptoms of the disease, but recently both have had a resurgence. They are about to begin treatments of a medication called Remicade, which they say has side effects similar to chemotherapy.
“It’s like you think of your life as ‘before I had Crohn’s’ and ‘after I had Crohn’s.’ You wish your life could be what it was before,” Howard said.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Talbott said.
Seeing her daughter suffer from the same disease that she struggles with has given Howard a resolve to see that more is done about Crohn’s. She is going to begin training to start a support group in Hillsboro, so people who are going through the same thing will have someplace to turn to.
She credits her husband, Raymond Howard, with “being my support that got me through this.” She wants to make sure others have that same support.
The family also hopes to participate in the annual Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis walk in Cincinnati on June 11. For more information on the walk, visit www.cctakesteps.org.
The walk is part of a national event to raise awareness and celebrate the lives of those who suffer from Crohn’s. According to walk organizers, more than 1.4 million Americans suffer from digestive diseases.
“While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings together this community in a fun and energetic atmosphere, encouraging them to make noise and be heard,” according to walk organizers.
Howard said that the walk is a great event, that is uplifting for those who have overcome Crohn’s, but that it is emotional to see the memorials and remembrances for those who have lost the battle with the disease. Especially, the children.
Talbott said she worries about her 4-year-old daughter, who is concerned when she sees her mother struggling with the pain and fatigue associated with the disease. They both also worry if the same disease is in her future.
“It’s my worst fear that this will happen to my grandchildren,” Howard said.
But with enough awareness and research, she hopes that there will be different options, and greater hope for the steps in her future.
For anyone interested in the development of the local support group, or information on the walk, contact Howard at (937) 403-7049, or 849 West Main Street, Hillsboro.[[In-content Ad]]
For two Hillsboro women, giving support and compassion to community members has become a passion, as they try to raise funds and awareness for a disease that has afflicted their family.
Kim Howard and her daughter, Dawn Talbott, both suffer from Crohn’s Disease – an incurable digestive disorder of the intestines. According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America, the exact cause is unknown. Some studies indicate there is a genetic link. Symptoms associated with the disease includes severe pain and abdominal cramping, and digestive issues, among others. While there is medication and treatments, the only permanent treatment is removal of the colon.
Talbott spoke to The Highland County Press this week from a bed in Highland District Hospital, after she had been admitted over the weekend following a flare-up from the disease. “This is too important,” Talbott said. “We need to talk about this, so people out there are aware of it.”
Howard was diagnosed 20 years ago with Crohn’s disease, and Talbott was diagnosed in 1999, when she was a senior at Hillsboro High School. “I had to miss a lot of school that year,” Talbott said.
Both women have gone through periods of remission where they experience no symptoms of the disease, but recently both have had a resurgence. They are about to begin treatments of a medication called Remicade, which they say has side effects similar to chemotherapy.
“It’s like you think of your life as ‘before I had Crohn’s’ and ‘after I had Crohn’s.’ You wish your life could be what it was before,” Howard said.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” Talbott said.
Seeing her daughter suffer from the same disease that she struggles with has given Howard a resolve to see that more is done about Crohn’s. She is going to begin training to start a support group in Hillsboro, so people who are going through the same thing will have someplace to turn to.
She credits her husband, Raymond Howard, with “being my support that got me through this.” She wants to make sure others have that same support.
The family also hopes to participate in the annual Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis walk in Cincinnati on June 11. For more information on the walk, visit www.cctakesteps.org.
The walk is part of a national event to raise awareness and celebrate the lives of those who suffer from Crohn’s. According to walk organizers, more than 1.4 million Americans suffer from digestive diseases.
“While many suffer in silence, Take Steps brings together this community in a fun and energetic atmosphere, encouraging them to make noise and be heard,” according to walk organizers.
Howard said that the walk is a great event, that is uplifting for those who have overcome Crohn’s, but that it is emotional to see the memorials and remembrances for those who have lost the battle with the disease. Especially, the children.
Talbott said she worries about her 4-year-old daughter, who is concerned when she sees her mother struggling with the pain and fatigue associated with the disease. They both also worry if the same disease is in her future.
“It’s my worst fear that this will happen to my grandchildren,” Howard said.
But with enough awareness and research, she hopes that there will be different options, and greater hope for the steps in her future.
For anyone interested in the development of the local support group, or information on the walk, contact Howard at (937) 403-7049, or 849 West Main Street, Hillsboro.[[In-content Ad]]