Guts and Glory Chantel Wicks

Dr. Eric Benchimol, Professor of Pediatrics and Northbridge Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, and Kate Lee, Vice President of Research and Patient Programs at Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, discuss some of the key findings outlined in the 2023 Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada Report. We take a look at what the report has to say about topics such as pediatrics, mental health, direct & indirect costs, and precision medicine, all within IBD in Canada. In addition, we touch on Ontario’s Non-Medical Switch Policy and the development of the Decision Matrix in response to that policy as well as briefly discuss some initial reported findings coming from the GEM Project. 

2023 Report: https://tinyurl.com/3s426ney

Non-Medical Switch: https://tinyurl.com/yc6j8575

Decision Matrix: https://tinyurl.com/yc5pvp3d

GEM: https://tinyurl.com/3pfpn28s

Discover the inspiring story of Abigail Redding, a resilient teenager who was diagnosed with fistulizing Crohn’s disease at just 16 years old. In this episode, Abbie, who is now 17, shares her journey with IBD, shedding light on the various aspects of her life as a teen navigating a new diagnosis, relationships, school, and dealing with a misinformed school administration. She also shares part of her powerful poem titled ‘Silence,’ offering a glimpse into the profound impact of living with Crohn’s disease.

For 27 years and counting, Alia Abutalib has been battling IBD. Most recently, she underwent a full proctocolectomy and now lives with a permanent ileostomy (#BarbieButt). Alia speaks openly about her disease, surgery, and having to navigate a lot of her journey alone because not everyone has the support system in place that they need when facing difficulty. She also talks about how important her dog has been in giving her the support and strength she needs sometimes when facing challenges. Join us to hear Alia’s journey of hardship, grief, perseverance, laughter, strength and everything in between.

Founder and CEO of Partake Brewing, Ted Fleming shares his IBD journey and how it led to him brewing the world’s best non-alcoholic beers. Partake Brewing is currently the 14th fastest growing company in Canada and shows no signs of slowing down! Are you looking to try Partake’s non-alchy beer? Use promo code GUTSGLORY15 for 15% off your entire purchase from drinkpartake.com until April 30, 2023!

Please note, this episode discusses alcohol and substance use & abuse. If you find yourself or someone you love struggling with substance abuse, there is help. For listeners in Canada, please visit this link https://tinyurl.com/2znbxwaa.

Not only is Peter Dobranowski an IBD Warrior but he has literally dedicated his life to IBD…by choice. Why? Well, he says, “someone’s gotta do it”. In this episode, Peter shares his story about his diagnosis and his journey with IBD. But Peter’s journey doesn’t end there because his life really does involve everything IBD. He is currently a second year PhD student in the Microbiology and Immunology program at the University of Ottawa where he is studying how the microbiome responds to a special type of fibre in kids with Crohn’s and Colitis. He is also a Crohn’s & Colitis Canada volunteer, received the BC Unsung Hero Award (2019), was the recipient of the AbbVie IBD scholarship (2019), completed a patient-led qualitative research project through the University of Calgary (PaCER), and is also piloting a program to expand the availability and accessibility of support to the Indo-Canadian community with IBD. In this episode learn the details about what Peter is doing for the IBD Community and how he is able to do it all while living with IBD.

OH! And did we mention he made a Lego Movie about his journey with IBD? Check it out here: https://bit.ly/2MHHsqB

Noah Weber is a pretty incredible teen and IBD Warrior who co-founded the organization ‘Athlete vs. Crohn’s & Colitis’ with Larry Nance Jr., NBA Basketball Player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Noah shares his journey with Crohn’s Disease from diagnosis, surgery, and various medications. A journey that led him to reaching out to NBA star Larry Nance Jr. and starting ‘Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis’ together. This is a MUST listen! Find out all about Noah and AVC.

Check out the Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis website: https://www.athletesvscrohns.org/