SEPTEMBER 29 • 2022 | 47

HEALTH

O

n Oct. 1, the Michigan 
chapter of the Crohn’s & 
Colitis Foundation will host 
its 45th Annual Evening of Hope 
“There’s No Place Like Hope” gala at 
the MotorCity Casino Hotel.
The Wizard of Oz-themed night 
will raise critical funds and drive 
awareness to help find cures for 
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, 
which currently have no cure. It will 
also raise funding to ensure that 
research and patient programs can 
continue for years to come.
At the event, which takes place 
from 6-10 p.m., attendees will 
experience entertainment, special 
guests, silent auctions and hear 
inspirational stories from those living 
with the diseases.
Individual tickets start at $250 and 
sponsorship packages are available as 
well.
As an “invisible illness,” the effects 
of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis 
aren’t always visible. Known collectively 
as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, 
these conditions attack the digestive 
system and can cause painful symptoms 
and flares.
With no known cure, people 
diagnosed with the diseases often use 
a combination of medicine, lifestyle 
changes and stress-reduction techniques 
to help keep symptoms under control.
Symptoms can include abdominal 
pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal 
bleeding, fever and weight loss. 
Sometimes, the symptoms can be so 
severe that hospitalization is required, 
especially during a flare. A flare is when 
symptoms of the disease attack in full 
force.
Many patients even require surgery, 
especially after multiple hospitalizations.

LIVING WITH ULCERATIVE COLITIS
Most people develop the diseases 
between the ages of 15 and 35, but more 
and more diagnoses are being made in 
children.
Rachel Wettenstein, 37, of Ann Arbor, 
who is involved with the Crohn’s & 
Colitis Foundation, was one of those 
adolescents diagnosed in childhood.
In October 1998, Wettenstein was 
gearing up to turn 14 — a time that 
should have been exciting.
Instead, she had bad stomachaches 
and was running to the bathroom 
multiple times a day. After finding 
blood and mucus in her stools, 
Wettenstein’s parents took her to see 
a pediatric gastroenterologist at Troy 
Beaumont. 
“I was already going through normal 
teenage stuff,” she recalls. “On top of 
that, I was diagnosed with a chronic 
illness.”
Wettenstein’s treating doctor 

determined that she had ulcerative 
colitis, a form of IBD that affects an 
estimated 1 million people in the 
U.nited States. It causes inflammation 
and ulcers, or sores, in the digestive 
tract.
The teenager began prednisone, a 
corticosteroid regimen, and missed 
two weeks of school.
“It was so tough,” she admits.

COPING WITH FLARES
As years went on, Wettenstein 
experienced multiple flares. She was 
put on various medications, going 
through periods of remission where 
“you can live normally” and more 
difficult periods.
In November 2016, she had a major 
ulcerative colitis flare that required 
hospitalization. “When I was in the 
hospital, they talked about surgery,” 
she says. “I was in my early 30s, so that 
was pretty scary.”
Luckily, Wettenstein turned the 
corner and began a series of medicine 
infusions. She was mostly flare-
free until this July, when she was 
hospitalized once again with severe 
symptoms.
“During a flare, you just feel awful,” 
she explains. “You’re worried you won’t 
make it to the bathroom on time. You’re 
not really eating because you don’t want 
to eat food.”
It’s “very challenging,” she adds.

FINDING A CURE
Still, her journey inspired her to take 
action.
After her first hospital stay in 2016, 
Wettenstein became involved with the 
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and is also 
involved in the organization’s young 
professional group. She’s involved with 
Jewish Young Professionals of Ann 

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation presents its 
Annual Evening of Hope.
An ‘Invisible Illness’

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rachel 
Wettenstein

continued on page 48

