ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX (March 25, 2015) Luke and Kacy Holloway of Heath share more in common than the average brother and sister; they are both living with Crohn’s disease.
The number of patients living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the U.S. has now increased to an estimated 1.6 million, with 5 percent of that patient population under the age of 18. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are serious diseases that drastically affect the lives of both patients and those who care for them. Symptoms include but are not limited to persistent diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, fever, malnutrition and weight loss, weakness, fistulas and abscesses, and irritations of the skin, joints, and eyes.
Luke and Kacy’s disease manifestations have been as different as their personalities. Luke was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2011 at the age of 12. Through medication, Luke has his disease under management and been in remission.
For Kacy, her journey has been a more difficult one. She began to experience joint pain about a year after Luke’s diagnosis. Kacy played volleyball since the fifth grade and was getting injured frequently with her wrist, then ankle and hip. Her parents, Rene and Shawn, took her in for x-rays and physical therapy but nothing seemed to be working.
Shortly after, Kacy endured similar symptoms as her brother and her parents acted quickly on getting an appointment with Luke’s gastroenterologist. She was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and later, additional test confirmed it was Crohn’s disease. The joint pain that Kacy was experiencing is one of the many side effects of Crohn’s. She has been hospitalized twice, tried many different medications and even missed the last half of her sophomore year in high school. Kacy is still dealing with daily complications from Crohn’s and hoping to get it under remission like her brother has.
The Holloway family have made it their mission to do whatever they can to make a difference in finding a cure for Crohn’s disease. “Of course with two children with this disease, we want to find a cure for it,” said mom, Renee. “It is a hard disease to explain to people and it doesn’t get the recognition that some other diseases get because it is such a silent disease.”
Luke and Kacy, along with their family, friends, and hundreds others are gathering together on May 2nd at the Dallas Take Steps Walk to join the fight against Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Take Steps has raised over $50 million for research and patient support services and is committed to transforming the lives of those impacted by these diseases and leading them to a brighter future through cutting-edge scientific research. The walk is a family friendly festival with activities for everyone including music, games, activities, food and a leisurely walk through Reverchon Park.
Becoming a part of the Take Steps family is life changing for many patients and their families. And, Take Steps provides a host of tools and resources to make fundraising easy and fun. While there is no fundraising minimum, anyone who raises a $100, will receive a Take Steps T-shirt. Other great prizes are awarded as fundraising increases.
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis – which affect nearly 1 in 200 people – are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn’s disease may attack anywhere along the digestive track, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, bleeding, fever, weight loss and fatigue. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35; however the incidence is increasing in young people.
About the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is the largest voluntary non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). CCFA’s mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who suffer from these diseases. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research, providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public, and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more information, visitwww.ccfa.org, call 888-694-8872, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ccfafb and www.facebook.com/ccfatakesteps, or follow CCFA and Take Steps on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ccfa and www.twitter.com/takesteps.
For more information, please contact Al James, Walk Manager at 972.386.0607 ext 5 or ajames@ccfa.org.
Submitted by Jacquelin Way Leech, Executive Director, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America.
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