Put yourself in the following situation: You have just graduated high school and have just begun attending college thousands of miles from home. You are making friends, but you have no one you can truly depend on yet. Shortly after classes start, you start to feel ill. You go to the doctor. You are diagnosed with an incurable disease. How do you feel? What do you do?
This is a true story. It is the story of University of Miami student Jeff Brody, a freshman majoring in motion pictures. In October of 2007 Jeff was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an incurable ailment that affects the intestines and gastrointestinal system. Areas of the colon and small intestine become inflamed, causing those affected a lot of pain. Symptoms may include persistent diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, fever, and fatigue. Loss of appetite and rectal bleeding may also occur. Crohn’s disease may even affect other areas of the body in some way, including the joints, liver, skin, and eyes.
Jeff told me how he was first diagnosed. “I came to school in August to move in. I was having a lot of stomach problems, and I mistook it for anxiety and stress. I’m from Arizona, I’m flying all the way over here to Miami, I’m meeting whole new people, starting a whole new game.” But even after Jeff began to adjust to life at college, problems persisted. “I was going to the bathroom a lot, having stomach cramps, stomach aches, vomiting. So finally my parents persuaded me to get checked out. The doctor diagnosed me right there on the spot.” After Jeff was diagnosed, he was able to take better care of himself and be more social. But Jeff didn’t stop with helping himself. He decided to try to help others with this disease as well.
“I went on the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) website to look for ways I could help and donate. I came across this walk they have called Take Steps.” According to the Take Steps website, “Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis is the nation’s largest event dedicated to finding cures for digestive diseases. Participants raise money for crucial research that wouldn’t even have been possible a few short years ago, bringing us closer to a future free from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Beyond raising money for research, Take Steps brings together the Crohn’s and colitis community in a fun and energetic atmosphere.”
Jeff originally planned on getting some friends together to go to the walk and raise some money. But as fate would have it, Jeff’s Resident Assistant in Hecht Residential College at University of Miami would also be diagnosed with Crohn’s in January. Bryan Llenas is a sophomore student and a first year RA majoring in broadcast journalism and economics. “Jeff came to me and said, ‘We have a walk.’ He signed my floor up to go, but I said, ‘This is a great idea, let’s extend it out to all of Hecht.’” Bryan presented the idea to his boss, Resident Coordinator Leyla Al-Mansoori. She loved it, and provided food, t-shirts, and transportation for the event.
The stage was set. The event was advertised throughout Jeff and Bryan’s residence hall. Using a Facebook page, the two of them were able to confirm over 100 supporters. Since Jeff is also a member of my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, he came to us for donations and support, raising several hundred dollars from our chapter. When Jeff told me about what he was doing, I told him that I wanted to tell his story. Obviously he agreed. Jeff says the enthusiastic response was astounding. “The thing snowballed within a month,” Jeff said. “That’s all the time we had to prepare for it.”
The Take Steps walk was held the night of April 12th at Huizenga Park and the surrounding Las Olas Riverfront in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Over 50 Hecht residents, all clad in matching neon orange t-shirts, crammed onto a school bus in support of the cause. Upon arriving, Jeff and Bryan’s group found the park crowded with supporters and fanfare. 1,500 people were in attendance, making up 115 different teams.
Throughout the walk, the group from Hecht Residential College portrayed pride and zeal. Jeff was astounded with how well the program, turned out. “I’m smiling just thinking about it. We had an original goal of raising $500. We ended up raising $3,780.” For their efforts, Jeff and Bryan were given a certificate from the CCFA declaring them a Top Five Team.
So why do all of this? “Crohn’s is very common among young people,” Bryan told me. “Usually from [the ages] 18 to 24 is when people get diagnosed.” Awareness is also an issue, according to Jeff. “People don’t know what it is. You look at people and you can’t tell if they’re sick.” Bryan agrees. “It’s not that talked about, because nobody wants to talk about a bowel disease. This is our way to kind of say, ‘Hey, listen, this is a disease that’s affecting young people and we should do something about it.’ This was our way to throw awareness at university students, some of whom are going to be diagnosed.”
Crohn’s is a disease that, as of current research, will affect you for life. “You can expect to be in the hospital at least once a year for the rest of your life,” Bryan said. And in Jeff’s words, “There is no known cause, and no known cure.”
Jeff ended our interview on a light and positive note. “Literally it’s been a pain in the ass,” he joked. “But I’ve managed to deal with it. The support here has been tremendous. I’m very happy here knowing I have the friends and support that I do.”
For more on Crohn’s, check out www.ccfa.org.