“Going through all of this has made me more empathetic towards my patients” – Rebekah’s story
I was diagnosed with UC when I was 10 years old. It took a while for the diagnosis, but finally receiving it felt like a relief because I knew that I could be treated.
Up until I was 20 I lived a relatively normal life. I did have anxiety about going out and what I ate, and I did have the occasional incontinence episode, but on the whole I was able to get through school and go to university.
At 20 I had a major flare up. The biggest one since being diagnosed, that resulted in me having an ileostomy. I wanted the ileostomy more than anything and was so excited to get it, but it was a bit of a transition and took some getting used to.
A year later, when I was 21 and in my final year of university, I had to get a Proctectomy because I was still having ongoing inflammation in my rectum.
It was a difficult decision to make because of the fertility risks surrounding the surgery but I’m glad I made that decision. Now I can proudly say I have survived UC.
It felt like the disease was trying to kill me at a certain point, but I survived. There are risks associated with any procedure but I knew, for me, the benefits far outweigh those risks.
I’m in my final year of studying to become a nurse/midwife. Going through all of this has made me more empathetic towards my patients because I have been where they are.
I look forward to what the future has in store for me.