Just when a young person is set to spread his or her wings, inflammatory bowel disease can put those plans into pieces.
Kacie Haberlin, 22, from Delta, went through that in the past couple years, but is back to living the life that she had before she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.
“It’s definitely been a journey, for sure,” Haberlin said. “It’s not stopped me.”
Haberlin was diagnosed a few months after her dad passed away. The onset of the disease co-incided with her enrolment in UBC in the dental hygiene program as well as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With in-person gatherings banned and her university classes all online, Haberlin was able to get through her first year at home.
“So that was a really a blessing in disguise, sort of,” she said.
Suffering from IBD can hurt a person’s lifestyle with unpredictable bouts of abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and the need to go to the bathroom.
And she’s still in the process of learning about her body and her disease and is still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
According to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, this country has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease. But that’s because it’s diagnosed more often, she said.
“A lot of people know somebody that has Crohn’s or colitis,” she said.
She advises people who are suffering to talk to others who are going through the same thing.
“If you have Crohn’s and colitis, just keep up with the medication and keep trying different ways that can help manage the symptoms,” she adds. “And definitely reach out to other people who have the disease because talking with other people who have the disease definitely helps a lot, even though it can be scary or challenging at first.”
Haberlin is currently the Vancouver honourary chair for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada for this year’s Gutsy Walk.
She’s now heading into her third year at UBC, a task which has been made easier with a $5,000 scholarship from AbbVie Canada.
That will pay for about half of this semester’s tuition.
Haberlin said everyone’s inflammatory bowl disease is different and everyone can respond differently to medication. And for some, it takes years to find a medication that works.
But for her, monthly IV infusions of medication into her bloodstream keeps the inflammation at bay and allows her to live a normal life.
“So, I’m really lucky in the way that I found the medication that works for me, but it’s hard for some people,” she said, adding the disease can show up anywhere in the gastro-intestinal tract.
She hopes her disease will remain stable, where it is, and not expand to another part of her body.
“So, I’ll be on medication for the rest of my life.”
Affecting one in 140 (300,000) Canadians, Crohn’s and colitis is growing across Canada, said Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Researchers estimate that it will rise to 400,000 Canadians by 2030.
It can be diagnosed at any age, but the typical age of onset is early adulthood, typically between age 20 and 29.
