Thank You « A Guy With Crohn's

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time when the Pilgrims came together peacefully with the indians in the area and had a feast for the fall harvest. Over time, it has become a holiday where we look back at our lives and give thanks to the things we have.

So what am I thankful for this year? There is so much to give thanks to. I can give thanks to my doctor. With so many unsympathetic doctors out there that don’t care about their patients, mine took the time to listen to me, do reasearch on his own time and put his trust in my hands to let me try a different course of treatment for my Crohn’s. So far it is working so thank you Dr. Potack.

I want to give thanks to my wife. She has stuck by my side through the good days and the bad. Through flares and scopes. When I was sick and depressed she was there to tell me everything will be alright and to offer advice. She supports my choice to go gluten free which was a life saver. Thank you Heather.

I want to thank my dog. She is a stubborn dog that likes to bark at the slightest noise in the building hallways. But she is quick with her hello’s when I come home and is there to cuddle me when I am sad. She gives me unconditional love when I need it most and never asks for anything in return. She knows when I need to be cheered up and will try to play with me. I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful soul. Thank you Sable.

This year I embarked on a new journey and started talking publicly about my disease. Out of a bad flare came a new life. I have started this blog and have met a lot of great people. I have become more involved in helping others with IBD. But without the help of others, I would never had taken the first step. I have thanked many of these people before, both privately and publicly, but today is special so I will do it again…because without their support and help, I wouldn’t be doing what I do. Thank you (in no particular order):

Kelly – www.sickgirldiary.com

Sara – www.inflamed-and-untamed.com

Alyssa – www.loveformutantguts.wordpress.com

Stephen – http://sdempster.com/ (The Road Less Traveled)

Jackie – www.bloodpooptears.com

Amanda – www.stopthinkingstartwriting.blogspot.com

Adam – www.IhaveUC.com

Jason – www.crohnsdiseasesn.com

This is just some of the great inspiration I have had this year. There are so many more people to thank that I don’t have the space to thank them all. So my biggest thank is to the IBD community. You have all opened up your heart to me and gave me so much love and inspiration. No one will ever really understand what it meant to me.

Recently I was contacted by the good people over at WEGO Health. They wanted to do a little interview with me to help get my message out. In exchange, I would help get their message out.

First off, here is the interview.. http://blog.wegohealth.com/2012/07/09/featuring-health-activists-jeffrey-of-a-guy-with-crohns/

For anyone that doesn’t know who they are, WEGO Health (www.wegohealth.com) is a site dedicated to bringing awareness to just about any health issue. They do articles on different topics, highlight an illness for a month, hold Twitter chats and help bring people with same the same illnesses together.

Now, for anyone that knows me, knows I won’t advocate for something I don’t believe in. I am true to my word and beliefs. I wouldn’t spread WEGO Health’s words if I didn’t believe in them. So, check them out and maybe you can find some answers to some problems you might be having.

I have to say, I was so happy to be asked to do this interview. One, I love getting the guy’s view of IBD out there and this is a big step in that direction. Second, it is showing me that people are seeing my posts and like what I have to say. A big reason I liked the interview, is I got to publicly thank some of the people who inspired me to get on with my life and to speak up. Thank you Sara Ringer, Kelly Frick, Jackie Zimmerman, Charis Kirk and Maggie Baldwin for setting me down this road.

Of course there are so many others that have been an inspiration to me and that is why I do the Follow Friday thingy here. It is my way of saying thank you. I can’t go and list everyone because the list would just keep going. Every week I seem to meet inspiration people and if you read my blog, you would see that.

Now, I don’t do what I am doing for fame. I hate being in the spotlight. I do it so anyone with IBD would know that they aren’t alone. I grew up all alone with this unknown disease. In the 80’s and 90’s before there was the internet, it was hard to now only learn about Crohn’s Disease but to meet people with it. Now, I can meet someone new everyday. And hopefully, no one has to feel like I did. That is why I do what I do. And if you ever feel alone, just look me up and say Hi.

My biggest thank you I have saved for last. It is to everyone that reads my blogs and Tweets with me and is there to keep me moving. It is to all the people who are there to pick me up when I’m down. It’s to everyone that leaves me comments saying thank you. Mainly, it is to YOU, the reader. Thank You.