I’m a social worker that’s been working with people living with chronic illnesses for more than 20 years (I was a fetus when I started. I promise).

My dad was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was a teenager and that really sparked my passion for working with these communities. I started focusing on IBD about 7 years ago and I’ve absolutely loved getting to know and be part of this community! All of the people living with IBD are so resilient, passionate, and interesting and all of the healthcare providers are so smart, funny, invested, and committed. Best of all, this community is the reason that I met and had the privilege of making friends with Robin! I could not have asked for a better co-host and ride-or-die and creating and producing this podcast has been SO much fun.

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2000. I had just returned to college after having two baby girls in 2.5 years. I got very sick very fast and ended up in the hospital. My colon needed to be removed pretty emergently and 3 + weeks later,I left the hospital with no colon and an ostomy. After the pathology reports came back my diagnosis was changed to inderminant colitis and my surgeon asked if I would consider connecting my ileum to what was left of my rectum. I lived that way for 20 years. In 2018 my diagnosis changed again and I had to accept the fact that I had Crohn’s disease all along. My scope in 2020 showed the potential for colon cancer and so more surgery was necessary. I ended up getting a jpouch- unusual for people with Crohn’s for lots of reasons, but my Crohn's is in my stomach (RARE) so they thought it was a good option. So now, I’m a Crohnie with a jpouch and sharing it all with all of you on the podcast.