1. AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET TO THE NATIONAL POST
DIGESTIVE WELLNESS
personalhealthnews.ca
Understandingthesystemthatfuelsyourlife
T
he awesome gum to bum
journey. Every moment
of every day it works for
you. It feeds your major
organs, brain and body.
It helps fight infection and illness.It
plays host to trillions of microorgan-
isms. And, although it is often neg-
lected and under-appreciated, your
digestive tract is inarguably the most
importantsysteminyourbody.
Thatmiraculouscollectionofhollow
tubes and organs that connect gum to
bum,providesuswithwhatweneedto
survive and thrive.While the function
of the digestive tract can be reduced to
the intake of food and elimination of
waste,thereisawholelotofawesome-
nessthathappensinbetween.
Neglected and
underappreciated
With all that it does, you’d think we
would do everything we could to pro-
tect this remarkable system. Sadly,
this is not the case. Most of us take
our digestive health for granted and
it shows. About 20 million Canadians
suffer from digestive ailments every
year, and thousands die unnecessar-
ily. Misconceptions, self-reproach,
stigma,embarrassment,fear and lack
of understanding result in manyCan-
adians becoming ill because they ig-
noreorhidetroublesomesymptoms.
The rising cost
Digestive diseases represents more of
the total direct health-economic bu-
rden than almost any other disease
category, including respiratory dis-
ease and diabetes. We lose about 18
million work days every year to those
living with digestive illness.And,it is
estimated that digestive diseases rep-
resents $18 billion in healthcare costs
andlostproductivity.
Countless digestive diseases af-
fect people of all ages,races and socio-
economic positions.Their prevalence
is on the rise and we are challenged
to provide care to those who need it.
Add to this situation the fact that the
number of gastroenterologists,which
isalreadygrosslyinsufficient,isdrop-
ping,andwe have a recipe for a health
disaster. We already see evidence of
this lack of preparedness having a
potentiallydevastatingimpact.
Digestive diseases reduces
quality of life
While some digestive diseases rob
people of their lives,most steal some-
thing that is just as valuable – the
quality of life lived. Millions of Can-
adians suffer from irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal
reflux disease (GERD) year after year.
CATHERINE MULVALE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CANADIAN
DIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION
editorial@mediaplanet.com
The painful and embarrassing symp-
toms of these ailments make work
and personal fulfillment difficult. On
average, 67 Canadians are diagnosed
with colon cancer every day and 26
die. This is tragic when this disease
is essentially preventable with prop-
er screening. Canada has one of the
highest rates of inflammatory bowel
disease(IBD)intheworld. Thisdebili-
tating and expensive disease gener-
ally strikes young people in the most
productive years of their lives. About
110,000Canadiansarediagnosedwith
celiacdiseasebutwesuspectthereare
at least double that number who re-
main undiagnosed.The list of digest-
iveafflictionsgoeson,andon.
Prevention and treatment
The good news is that 42 percent of
digestive diseases are preventable
and nearly all diseases of the gastro-
PHOTO:PETETHOMPSONPHOTOGRAPHY
LIFE AFTER DIAGNOSIS
How Robert Hill’s IBD diagnosis and ostomy sugery took him
from the brink of death to the top of the Seven Summits.
Featuring
CERTIFIED
GLUTEN-FREE
Making the
informed choice
NHL ALUMNI
THEO FLEURY
Overcoming obstacles
of Crohn’s
THE
MICROBIOME
Understanding your
body’s ecosystem
intestinal tract are treatable. There
are safe tests and effective therapies
to diagnose digestive diseases ear-
ly on.We have over-the-counter and
prescription medications to cure or
haltdiseaseprogression. Wecanpro-
actively protect our digestive – and
overall – health by making good food
and lifestyle choices, maintaining a
healthy weight, taking proven pro-
biotics, and adhering to treatment
recommendations.
Your digestive tract has the
power to keep you strong, healthy
and resilient. It is worthy of your
attention and respect. Learn more
about protecting and enhancing it
today so that you can live better and
healthier tomorrow.
2. CHALLENGES
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Mediaplanet’s business is to create new
customers for our advertisers by providing
readers with high-quality editorial content that
motivates them to act.
C
anada has among
the highest reported
prevalence (num-
ber of people) and
incidence (num-
ber of new cases per
year) of IBD in the world. Crohn’s
disease, one of the two main forms
of IBD, causes inflammation in the
gastrointestinal tract, particular-
ly the lower part of the small bowel
and the colon,disrupting the body’s
ability to digest food, absorb nutri-
ents, and eliminate waste. While
there currently is no cure,there are
a variety of treatment options avail-
able, and so it is especially import-
ant that Canadians with Crohn’s
disease understand the wealth of
choices available to them.
“The main issue to understand is
that IBD expresses itself differently
in different individuals,” says Aida
DIGESTIVE WELLNESS
FIRST EDITION, MARCH 2015
Publisher: Carlo Ammendolia
Business Developer: Richard Liorti
Managing Director: Martin Kocandrle
Production Manager: Sonja Draskovic
Lead Designer: Matt Senra
Designer: Mishelle Menzies
Contributors:
D.F McCourt, Robert Hill,
Joe Rosengarten, Catherine Mulvale,
Remo Panaccione
Send all inquiries to
editorial@mediaplanet.com
Distributed within:
The National Post, March 2015
This section was created by Mediaplanet
and did not involve the National Post or its
Editorial Departments.
Photo credit: All images are from Getty
Images unless otherwise accredited.
Fernandes, Chief Science
and Education Officer for
Crohn’s and Colitis Can-
ada.As a result,it’s import-
ant to match the available
treatment options to the lifestyle
and needs of the patient.A particu-
lar treatment may be well indi-
cated by medical factors, but if it
doesn’t fit into the individual’s life
and routine,it is unlikely to be suc-
cessful. This is why it’s so import-
ant that Canadians with Crohn’s
be educated about the full range
of treatment options and thus be-
come empowered to play an active
role in shaping their regimen.
The power of science in
treating Crohn’s disease
Biologics,medicationsthathavebeen
engineered to target specific activ-
ity in the immune system without
disturbing other vital functions, are
one of the biggest scientific advance-
ments in treating chronic illnesses
like Crohn’s disease in the past dec-
ade. “Biologicshavereallyrevolution-
ized treatment options for patients,”
says Fernandes.“Some people are re-
sponding extremely well to biologics
and seeing great improvements in
theirqualityoflife.”
Other important advancements
in managing Crohn’s disease in-
clude a non-invasive test to mon-
itor intestinal inflammation lev-
els, and the use of a trans-abdom-
inal ultrasound, which can be
performed quickly and involves no
exposure to x-rays.
The
importance of
early diagnosis
and proper
intervention
It is especially critical that
those suffering from Crohn’s disease
receive early diagnosis and proper
intervention.New Canadian research
from the Robarts Research Institute
has shown that patients who receive
aggressive treatment earlier in the
progressionofthediseaseseeareduc-
tion in hospitalization and surgery
rates compared to those treated with
thecurrentstandardofcare.
Unfortunately, the wide range
of symptoms presented in Crohn’s
can delay diagnosis and make it
difficult to assess when treatment
regimens are working. “The symp-
toms that usually bring a patient
in to see a gastroenterologist in-
clude digestive issues like diarrhea
and abdominal pain,” says gastro-
enterologist Dr.Brian Bressler.“But
people also present with less ob-
vious symptoms such as fatigue,
weight loss,and fever.”
WithCrohn’sdiseaseitisvitalthat
treatment focus is not just on the ef-
fects,but on the root cause.“It’s not
just about alleviating the symp-
toms,” says Dr. Bressler. “It’s about
controlling the underlying inflam-
mation.” Providing relief from un-
comfortable symptoms is obvious-
ly beneficial to the patient but,if the
inflammationpersists,thecondition
can worsen invisibly, resulting in a
need for surgery.
D.F. MCCOURT
editorial@mediaplanet.com
Robert Hill
FOUNDER OF INTESTINAL
DISEASE EDUCATION AND
AWARENESS SOCIETY (IDEAS)
ClimbingmountainsforostomyandCrohn’sdisease
R
obertHillwasdiagnosedwithan
aggressive form of Crohn’s dis-
easeasayoungman,resultingin
the removal of his large intestine and
permanent use of an ostomy bag. In-
steadoffeelingsorryforhimselfheset
out on a mission to rebuild himself —
mentallyand physically— and inspire
awarenessbyclimbingtheSevenSum-
mitsoftheworld.
Mediaplanet: What
where the circumstances
of your surgery?
Robert Hill: I was given the option
of ostomy or death.I choose life with
an ostomy.And,man —what a life!
MP: How did you prepare for
what came next?
RH: I was lucky,before surgery I had
theopportunitytospeakwithmyaunt
and a couple others who had ostomy
surgery,wetalkedabouttheproduct—
howtochangeitandhowitgavethem
thechancetolivetheirlives.
MP: What helped you flip the
stigma switch and be able to
talk about your situation?
RH: Knowledge was a key — under-
standing the illness; knowing the
physical “why” of my ostomy surgery
became my corner stone. In reality,
living with IBD and an ostomy is not
just physical — it is mental,emotion-
al,and spiritual aswell.I needed to ad-
dress all these components. My new
understanding lead to me presenting
to my classmates a business propos-
al to climb the Seven Summits to raise
awareness of IBD and ostomy surgery.
Itwas the first time I opened up about
myillnessandonlyfoundaweandsup-
port—whyhadIwaitedsolong?
MP: What inspired the
idea to climb the world’s
tallest mountains?
RH: It started off wanting to inspire
people the same way I had been in-
spiredbyTerryFoxandRickHansen.My
climbingwasgettingtothepointwhere
Iwasspendingmoretimeinthemoun-
tains, so why not take my passion for
climbing and love of the outdoors and
turnthatintosomethingpositive.
MP: How did No Guts Know
Glory resemble living with
Crohn’s Disease and an
Ostomy?
RH: The No Guts,part is easy — I lost
mine to Crohn’s disease.KnowGloryis
more about how strong we are as hu-
man beings.From the brink of death,
to the summit of the tallest moun-
tains around the world — it is about
thejourneyandhoweachstepmakes
us stronger.
MP: Do you have any advice
for those facing Crohn’s
disease or ostomy surgery?
RH:Again,knowledge is key!And,on
those darks days,find that one thing
that you can hold on to. For me that
wasclimbing.Itjusthastobeenough
to get you through.Know that there
are others out here that have walked
the path you are on,and that you are
not alone. Although your illness or
ostomy is a part of you — never let it
definewhoyou are.
LIVE LIFE
TO THE FULLEST!
Dedicated to all people with an ostomy and their families,
helping them to live life to the fullest, through support,
education, collaboration and advocacy.
VISIT
OSTOMYCANADA.CA
Crohn’s is a lifelong condition, so
the time you spend educating and
empowering yourself in the ear-
ly days of your diagnosis will pay
off for the rest of your life.With the
help of your healthcare professional,
you can shape and choose the right
treatment regimen for your individ-
ual lifestyle and needs, creating a
path to successful long-term man-
agement of the disease.With Crohn’s
disease,it is up to you to take charge
of your own quality of life.
editorial@mediaplanet.com
DATE
location
Ostomy Care • ConvaTec.ca
Improving the
lives of children
with Crohn’s.
PAGE8
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SHAW CENTRE
Inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD) is a group of conditions
in which sections of the
gastrointestinal tract become
inflamed and ulcerated. This is
caused by an abnormal response
of the body’s immune system.
Crohn’s disease (CD) and
ulcerative colitis (UC), the two
main forms of IBD, are lifelong
diseases that often start in early
adulthood, but can also begin in
childhood, in otherwise healthy,
active individuals.
IBD
UC
CD
Approximately
129,000
CANADIANS
live with CD
Canada has the
HIGHEST CD
PREVALENCE
in the world
The economic
cost of IBD in
Canada in 2012 was
$2.8 BILLION
SOURCE:GASTROINTESTINALSOCIETY
The many treatment paths
for Crohn’s disease
A PERSONAL
CHOICE
“Biologics have
reallyrevolutionized
treatment options for
patients,some people
are responding
extremelywell to
biologics and seeing
great improvements
in their quality
of life.”
OCTOBER 26
BURLINGTON
ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT HILL,
GO TO PERSONALHEALTHNEWS.CA
4. NEWS
AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET TO THE NATIONAL POST4 · PERSONALHEALTHNEWS.CA
I
t’s been a little over a hundred
years since Nobel Prize winner
Élie Metchnikoff,the grandfather
of probiotics, first theorized that
the consumption of active mi-
crobial cultures could have sub-
stantial health benefits.Metchni-
koffhadobservedthatpeopleinrural
populations with diets heavy in bac-
teria-rich fermented milk products
were unusually healthy and long
lived. So confident was Metchnikoff
in this theory that,for the rest of his
life,fermented milk made up a large
part of his diet.
Inthecentury
since,the sci-
ence of pro-
b i o t i c s
has pro-
g r e s s e d
dramatic-
ally, though
the most prom-
ising research has
largely happened in the last two dec-
ades.“Sciencemovesalongatpacewith
technology,”explainsDr.RichardFedor-
ak,President of the Canadian Digestive
Health Foundation (CDHF). “So, while
werecognizedahundredyearsagothat
gutbacteriawereimportant,wehadno
wayofmeasuringthem.”
The microbiome
Now that the technology to better
examine human gut flora exists,the
findings are astounding.The average
person has trillions of beneficial mi-
crobes,from hundreds or even thou-
sands of different species, living in
their digestive tract.In fact,you have
morethantentimesasmanymicrob-
ial cells inyour gut thanyou have hu-
man cells in your entire body. And
these microbes provide vital auto-
immune function, being implicated
in the prevention and management
of conditions as varied as asthma,al-
lergies,certain cancers,IBS,and IBD.
“We’ve only recently begun to recog-
nize that our gut microbiome is an
organ,no different from the heart or
liver,” says Dr. Fedorak. “It plays an
essential role in overall health.”
The CDHF refers to these gut mi-
crobes as protective superheroes and,
in healthy adults, these superheroes
have the diversity and balance re-
quired to keep us safe against harm-
ful pathogens.“The gut is representa-
tive of 70 to 80 percent of our immune
system,” explains alternative medi-
cine expert Bryce Wylde.But in times
of stress or illness,particularly when
travelling, it is easy for this microbi-
ome to become unbalanced, which
can result in diarrhea, lowered auto-
immune function, and negative im-
pacts throughout the entire body.Re-
storingthesuperheroesinthesecases
can be as easy as taking a supplement
or introducing probiotic foods likeyo-
gurt into the diet, but choosing the
rightproductisessential.
Not all yogurts are
created equal
“In 2003, if you asked someone on
the street,or even a dean of medicine
at any major university,what a pro-
bioticwas,theywould have looked at
you like you had two heads,” says Dr.
Gregor Reid of the Canadian Centre
for Human Microbiome and Probiot-
ic Research. “Then,in 2004,Danone
launched Activia in Canada and put
the word ‘probiotic’ into the vocabu-
lary of Canadian households.Shortly
thereafter all the other major brands
followed with competing probiotic
yogurts of their own.”
It may seem strange that yogurt
has been providing probiotic health
benefits for thousands of years and
yet none of the yogurt products at
the grocery store in 2003 contained
any probiotics at all. The reason is
that commercial yogurt was being
heat treated to prolong shelf life and,
before the probiotic revolution of the
early 2000s, the fact that this also
killed off all the active cultures was
seen as a plus. And so, modern pro-
bioticyogurts have carefullyreintro-
duce the beneficial microbes that an-
cient populations had been enjoying
for millennia. Showing that some-
times you have to take a step back-
wards to go forwards.
It’s incredible that something as
simpleaseatingfunctionalfoodslike
probiotic yogurt can have such a pro-
found effect on wellness but, a hun-
dred years after Metchnikoff,the sci-
ence is finally catching up and show-
ing that indeed, a healthy gut is the
keyto healthybodyand a happylife.
Probiotic Yogurt: Thousands of years
old, and still a gutsy topic of research
D.F. MCCOURT
editorial@mediaplanet.com
See if it works for you too!
Sign up for the Challenge at activia.ca
Activia may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive issues like: bloating, gas, discomfort and
rumbling when consumed twice* per day for 4 weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
* 2 x 100 g
“We’ve only
recently begun
to recognize
that our gut
microbiome is
an organ, no
different from
the heart
or liver.”
You have more than
ten times as many
microbial cells in your
gut than you have human
cells in your entire body.
Constantly evolves
from birth, to our
environment, and what
we ingest.
The microbiome aids in
food digestion to fuel
your body
The microbiome
influences your
mood and
energy levels
Helps you adapt to your
surroundings to protect
against harmful
organisms
10X
THE
HUMAN
MICRO-
BIOME
There are more than
5,000 species living
in the gut
FEED YOUR
MICROBIOME:
Fibres: fruit and
root vegetables;
Grains: barley, rye,
and whole grains;
Fermented foods:
yogurt and honey.
WHAT IS THE
MICROBIOME?
A hidden organ
comprised of
100 trillion+
living organisms
(bacteria)
SOURCE: CANADIAN DIGESTIVE HEALTH FOUNDATION
!When your
microbiome becomes un-
balanced it
can cause
inflammation
7. INSPIRATION
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NHL Alumni Theo Fleury talks hockey,
perseverance and Crohn’s disease
T
here is no cure for
Crohn’s disease. This,
combined with general
poor public understand-
ing of the disease,can make receiv-
ing a Crohn’s diagnosis overwhelm-
ing. It is easy to look at the disease
and think first and foremost about
the things it will prevent you from
doing in your life.The truth is that,
though Crohn’s disease is a very ser-
ious condition, with proper man-
agement it need never hold anyone
back from anything.Just ask retired
NHL superstarTheo Fleury.
Overcoming obstacles
to success
Fleury was diagnosed with Crohn’s
disease in 1995, at age 27, after six
seasons with the Calgary Flames.
Rather than letting the disease
end his NHL career, Fleury went
on to become the captain of the
Flames and to win a gold med-
al playing for Team Canada at the
2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake
City.“I never really thought of it as
a disease,” Fleury says. “I just had
this attitude where, like anything
else in my life, it was just another
obstacle I had to overcome.”
Outside of the world of hockey,
Theo’s accomplishments are just as
remarkable. His philanthropic work
includes helping to raise funds for
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada in Cal-
gary.“The reason I got involved with
the Foundation in Calgary,” Theo
says, “is that they have a research
lab at the University of Calgary and
every single dollar we raised went
directly to research. That’s a rarity
when it comes to raising funds.They
do as cutting edge of research here in
Calgaryas anywhere in theworld.”
He has also recently followed up
a bestselling autobiography ‘Play-
ing with Fire’ with a new book en-
titled ‘Conversations with a Rattle-
snake.’ Known as an unstoppable
ball of lightning on the ice, he has
proven to be just as indomitable
with skates off.
Finding the right
treatment for you
Crohn’s disease is a complex gastro-
intestinal disorder that manifests
Increasing rates of IBD
IfwelookatUConitsown,over125,000
Canadians live with this condition.
This number is on the rise with 4,500
newcasesdiagnosedeachyear.
A leader in Canadian, and indeed
international, IBD research is Dr.
Remo Panaccione, Professor in the
Department of Medicine at the Uni-
versity of Calgary and Director of
the IBD Clinic. “While the onset of
UC is generally between 15-45 years,
it affects people of all ages. There is
such a large unmet medical need to
help Canadians with this disease
which is why it makes sense that
Canada is the leader in world-class
research for IBD.”
The University of Calgary IBD
Clinic and Clinical Trials Unit
is ranked among the top five in
the world. In the last three years
A
s Canadians we are de-
fined by many things:
cultures, languages
and our national sport
to name a few. If we
wanted to go so far as to name a
“national disease,” inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD) would be a
strong contender.
It’s not something that should
make us swell with pride as with an
Olympic gold, but Canada unfortu-
nately is a world leader in IBD,with
one of the highest prevalence rates
in the world. IBD results in the in-
testines becoming inflamed and
ulcerated, and is caused by an ab-
normal immune system response.
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative
colitis (UC) are two separate forms
of IBD.The exact cause is unknown
and there is no known cure.
With over 125,000 Canadians living with ulcerative colitis,
leading expert,Dr.Remo Panaccione,addresses research in Canada
and the evolution of treatments in this field.
Tacklingtheburden
ofulcerativecolitis
editorial@mediaplanet.com
they have tested three new agents
which have been approved or are
on the cusp of being approved for
the treatment of IBD. The goal is
to continue to develop therapies
that will improve patients’ qual-
ity of life, and allow patients ex-
panded choices.
Improving access to
personalized treatment
“We have come a long way in the
past 10 or 15 years in our under-
standing of UC and having addi-
tional treatments available has
made a large positive impact on the
lives of patients and their families,”
said Dr.Panaccione.“One of the ma-
jor objectives of research now is to
find treatments that are precise in
their action, not only for the dis-
ease, but also for the patient.We’re
heading in the direction we want to
be which is having the right ther-
apy available for the right patient,
given at the right time and in the
right manner. IBD is a difficult
disease to treat, but we are slowly
getting there with more effective
and more targeted treatment. The
physician community is looking
forward to novel agents being avail-
able in the near future that will fur-
ther help treat patients suffering
from IBD.”
Dr. Panaccione is encouraged by
the significant progress that has
been made in IBD in recent years
and while there is more work to
do, he is very optimistic that good
progress will be made.
D.F. MCCOURT
editorial@mediaplanet.com
IBD
FACTS
DR. REMO PANACCIONE
Highlights the strides in ulcerative colitis
research being made in Canada, providing
patients with more options than ever before.
“We have come a
long way in the past
10 or 15 years in our
understanding of UC
and having additional
treatments available
has made a large
positive impact on the
lives of patients and
their families.”
Theo Fleury
NHL ALUMNI, AUTHOR OF “PLAYING
WITH FIRE” AND “CONVERSATIONS
WITH A RATTLESNAKE”
in many ways, including severe ab-
dominal pains, diarrhea, as well as
affecting organs outside the gut,ul-
cers, rashes, and depression. It has
its challenges, Fleury acknowledg-
es,but it’s all about finding the right
treatment regimen for you to man-
age the disease.
While most Crohn’s disease suf-
ferers require lifelong medical ther-
apy,Theo is part of the 20 percent of
patients who have a very mild ver-
sion of the disease that can be man-
aged conservatively.
It’s well known that there is a cor-
relation between stress and Crohn’s
disease flare-ups.That’s why,Theo’s
two biggest pieces of advice for
those newly diagnosed with Crohn’s
disease are to keep stress levels
down and to not get frustrated if
progress is slow.
“You have to be patient,” Fleury
says, “because there is a trial and
error process until you find what
works for you and your body.”
“You have to be
patient…there is
a trial and error
process until
you find what
works for you
and your body.”
SOURCE: CROHN’S AND COLITIS CANADA
Canada has among
the HIGHEST
REPORTED RATES
of IBD in the world
IBD is a
LIFE-LONG,
chronic disease
THE TWO MAIN
DISEASES OF IBD
CROHN’S
DISEASE
ULCERATIVE
COLITIS
CD
UC
abdominal pain
and cramps,
diarrhea, rectal
bleeding, diminished
appetite and weight
loss, fever, anemia
and fatigue
During a flare-up,
44% OF
SUFFERERS
describe their
pain as agonizing
and debilitating or
steady pain that
lasts for hours
39%
WHO HAD
SURGERY
required an ostomy
(meaning they must
excrete waste into a
bag through a hole
in their stomach)
have had an
accident in public
because they could
not get to the
bathroom in time
44%
SYMPTOMS
INCLUDE
8. INSIGHT
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A growing problem
Since 1995,the number of new cases
of Crohn’s disease in Canadian chil-
dren has almost doubled. Approxi-
mately 20 to 30 percent of patients
with Crohn’s disease display symp-
toms before the age of 20. In fact,
Canada has one of the highest rates
of pediatric Crohn’s in the world.
As well as experiencing the typ-
ical gastrointestinal symptoms of
Crohn’s, children and teens affect-
ed often experience growth fail-
ure, malnutrition, and pubertal de-
lay.For a child who just wants to go
to school, play with their buddies,
and be “normal” Crohn’s can create
some real problems.
“Crohn’s disease can have a pro-
found effect on a child’s life,” says Dr.
BobIssenman,ProfessorofPediatrics
at McMaster University and Chief of
Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nu-
trition at McMaster Children’s Hos-
pital. “During the diagnostic phase,
there are many doctors appoint-
mentsandproceduresthatcanresult
in missed school and missed social
and extra curricular activities.”
Pediatric Crohn’s patients can also
miss large chunks of school after the
diagnostic phase,when they have to
attend doctors’ appointments, have
further tests,or make visits to a clinic
forinfusiontreatment.
Robbie’s Rainbow
After numerous visits to the doctor,
andaseriouscollapseathome,Robbie
Murray was diagnosed with Crohn’s
disease.“That was when I crumbled,”
his mother,Kate,says.“Finally,some-
body was realizing how sick my son
was–butwestillhadalongwaytogo.”
Robbie was tried on a few treat-
ments, but nothing was working.
After a while he was given a bio-
logic therapy. It worked, and after
a few treatments he began to show
signs of remission. “It was miracu-
lous,” says Kate. “The boy that we
once knew came back to us, it was
like he was waking up.”
WhenRobbieandKateencountered
a child whose family couldn’t afford
the adequate treatment, they knew
they had to do something. They sat
down as a family and had a conversa-
tionthatledtothecreationofRobbie’s
Rainbow,a charitythat gives children
access to expensive drug treatments
not covered by private or provincial
health plans and provides families
withfactualandreliableinformation.
Over the last five years, Robbie’s
Rainbow has raised over $300,000,
which has helped over 127 children re-
ceive critical treatments and care.The
charity has also teamed up with the
CanadianDigestiveHealthFoundation
to create resource guides to provide
parentsandteacherswithalloftherel-
evant information about Crohn’s.“The
‘Blackboards and Bathrooms’ guide
educates teachers and provides them
withsometipsonhowtocreateaposi-
tive environment for children with
Crohn’sdisease,”Katesays.
Another helpful resource is ‘You,Me
and IBD’,an educational magazine for
children,teensandparentsthatshares
inspirational stories, educational in-
formationandcelebratesinspirational
youthwithinthecommunity.
Treatments offer hope for
pediatric Crohn’s
There are some effective treatments
currently available to treat Crohn’s
disease, and a child or teen affected
can achieve a good state of health as
theytransitionintoadultlife.
Treatments can be nutritional or
medical and may include an anti-
inflammatory pill; steroids, which
are effective for short-term con-
trol of a flare-up and are used to in-
duce remission but not to maintain
remission as they can often inhib-
it growth; immunosuppressants;
or biologics, which are usually pre-
scribed after all other drugs have
been tried and have not been suc-
cessful,or the disease is very severe.
“The biologic treatments are just so
effective,theyhelpkidsgetbacktoa
normal quality life,” says Dr.Issen-
man.“It has an enormous impact on
everydomainofachild’slifewhenthe
diseaseisfullytreated.”
Biologic treatments also reduce the
needforhospitalizationandsurgeryin
childrenaffectedbyCrohn’sdisease.
Don’t let Crohn’s disease
hold you back
Clinton Shard was 12 when he was
diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. For
a youngster who was into all kinds of
sports and outdoor activities, the ill-
ness had a devastating effect.His low-
est point came over Christmas and
New Year’s in 2007,when he was hos-
pitalizedfortwomonths.
In March 2009, Clinton was pre-
scribed a biologic medication and
things started to look up: he was
feeling fit and healthy again. He
enrolled in his school’s Outdoor
Leadership program, and when he
heard that fellow Crohn’s patient
Rob Hill was planning to climb
Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds and
awareness for the disease, Clinton
knew he had to be involved.
“It was an arduous seven day trek
up the mountain, but my strug-
gle with Crohn’s disease definite-
ly prepared me mentally,” Clinton,
now 22,says.“Reaching the summit
was such an emotional experience.
It was at that point that I realized
I wasn’t just doing this for other
people, it was also to show myself
how far I’d come.”
After the Kilimanjaro expedition,
ClintontrekkedwithRobHilltoEver-
est base camp,and he continues to do
whatever he can to raise awareness
and funds for Crohn’s disease.“Most
importantly, though, people need
to know that there’s life after being
diagnosedwith Crohn’s disease.”
“The biologic
treatments
are just so
effective,
they help
kids get back
to a normal
quality life.”
JOE ROSENGARTEN
editorial@mediaplanet.com
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Biologicmedicationshavebecomeagame-changer
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ROBBIE’S RAINBOW
A charity dedicated to improving the lives of
children living with IBD.
PHOTO: ROBBIE’S RAINBOW
