Balancing Ulcerative Colitis, Work, and Motherhood – Nanjè’s story
I first got sick with concerning symptoms while travelling to Hawaii when I was twenty-two. What I thought would be a quick illness, maybe a bug or food poisoning, turned into eleven long months of confusion, pain and endless appointments. I went from doctor to doctor and through test after test without anyone giving me a clear answer about what was happening to my body. It was exhausting and frustrating, and for a long time I worried that I might never feel better or even feel normal again.
Diagnosis and Support
When I finally heard the words ulcerative colitis, it was both scary and relieving. Scary because it meant I had a lifelong condition, but relieving because I finally knew what I was fighting. Getting onto the right medication and focusing on a healthier low tox lifestyle to help reduce inflammation took time, but it changed everything. Slowly my body settled, my symptoms eased, and I started to feel like myself again. After the constant uncertainty of that first year, remission felt like a gift.
I’ve now been in medicated remission for five years, and they have been some of the most stable and healthy years since before I first became sick. I have learned how to listen to my body, how to work with my condition rather than against it, and how to live fully without letting UC define me. I have travelled, purchased homes and renovated with my husband and managed demanding shift work, even on days when fatigue was heavy.
Motherhood and Stability
One of my biggest fears used to be pregnancy and whether my body would cope. After a long journey with infertility, I went on to have a successful medicated pregnancy, and everything went smoothly. My health stayed stable, our baby boy stayed healthy, and I was able to breastfeed. It remains one of my proudest victories after everything UC once put me through.
Looking back, the journey has not been easy, but it has made me stronger, more patient and far more grateful for my body. I am living well, I am managing my condition, and I am genuinely proud of how far I have come.
If you or someone you know would like to share their own story, click here.