Crohn's and Colitis Awareness week is the first week of December, and even though this post is a bit late, I still wanted to talk about the unique artwork I made for the occasion, and what Crohn's and Colitis Awareness means to me.
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are both inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and are permanent diseases; there is no cure. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of seven, and re-diagnosed with Crohn's disease a couple of years ago. Crohn's and colitis are not rare diseases; millions of children, teens and adults worldwide have them, but yet awareness is still important because many don't know what these diseases are, that they need a cure, or how they affect those suffering from them. IBD patients don't always like to talk about their diseases, and this understandable. Talking about what's going on in your gut can be a bit strange and awkward.
To play my part in raising awareness for those with IBD, I created the “Crohnosaurus”. It is a play off of Kronosaurus, a prehistoric marine reptile from the Early Cretaceous period. Kronosaurus was a pliosaur, one of the largest pliosaurs known, and could grow over 30 feet long. Leave it to me to mix Crohn's and colitis with paleontology! The design was made using Krita and Inkscape, and took three days to complete. I donated a box of t-shirts featuring this design to the IBD Clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado. Children's Hospital Colorado has been providing me with compassionate, expert healthcare for years. Also, through the month of December, all net proceeds from the sales of products featuring the Crohnosaurus will be donated to the IBD Clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado.
