“I never could have imagined this would be my life again — taking risks, laughing loudly, living fully” – Jeremy’s story
Ten years ago, I was in total agony. I could barely walk from the pain. Despite trying my best to brush it off and be a regular 21-year-old, eventually I knew I had to go to hospital. At the time, I was living on the other side of the world, studying at a university in Mississippi, USA.
After six weeks in and out of hospital, I finally got a diagnosis: Crohn’s disease, with perianal fistulas and abscesses. When I heard the words, I felt relief. I remember thinking, now that I know what’s wrong, I’ll get treated and life will go back to normal. I was sure I’d soon be like every other 21-year-old again — going out late, full of energy and making memories to last a lifetime.
But Crohn’s disease isn’t always so simple.
Over the next seven years, I battled constant exhaustion. I could barely exercise. Every morning was a struggle to start the day. I lived in fear that one of my ten (or more) trips to the bathroom would catch me out — on a bus, out with friends, or stuck in traffic. Abscesses and fistulas kept coming back, and strange infections landed me in hospital — including a bout of viral meningitis.
Eventually, I worked up the courage to change gastroenterologists, switch medications, and focus seriously on my diet. Shortly after, my disease went into remission. For the first time since my late teens, I felt like I could truly live again.
I decided to take full advantage of my new lease on life. In June 2024, my girlfriend and I quit our jobs and set off backpacking through South and Central America. Just last week, I returned home — still pinching myself at everything we were able to do. We climbed 6,000-metre mountains, watched volcanoes erupt at sunrise, took countless 24-hour bus rides, slept on beaches, floated down the Amazon on a cargo ship, volunteered at a surf camp, explored caves, blew up dynamite in a silver mine, stargazed in the desert — and so much more.
Every day was a bucket list adventure. When I was sick, struggling just to get out of bed, I never could have imagined this would be my life again — taking risks, laughing loudly, living fully.
To anyone struggling right now: please know this time will pass. You will live your life again. And you will live it well.