Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Simple walk can lead to a better life for others

Across the nation, thousands of individuals suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases.

Jacob Castles, from Indian Trail, is among that number and was diagnosed with chronic ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory disease of the large intestine.

Jacob has seen his share of major surgeries - once in February 2009 for a total colectomy and another in August 2009 for an internal ostomy.

Known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases, these chronic illnesses affect about 1.4 million Americans, including some 140,000 children younger than 18, according to CCFA.org.

But the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America is on a mission to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis for patients like Jacob.

Community members will have the opportunity to participate in the upcoming Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Carolinas Take Steps Walk on May 20, 2012 at 4 p.m. at Freedom Park.

Take Steps helps support patient programs, enhances professional education efforts and propels research for a cure. In the past four years, the organization succeeded in bringing together over 100,000 people and raised about $32 million to help further CCFA's mission.

How to get involved:

Photo: Jacob Castles stands with his brother, Luke. Photo courtesy of Monica Wissbaum.

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