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\u201cFor many years I shared with only a few people that I had Crohn\u2019s and really relied on my own ability to manage it quietly, which was not always easy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI relied on my gastroenterologist and immediate family to deal with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cTo most, I kept it a secret \u2013 seeing it as a weakness. This was of course a mistake and meant that I didn\u2019t get the support I need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSince sharing my condition more broadly in recent years, the burden of Crohn\u2019s disease has lightened significantly. It has made my working environment easier to navigate \u2013 when and why I need time off, or to leave an event suddenly or slow down a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n May is National Crohn\u2019s and Colitis Awareness Month and is an opportunity for people living with IBD to courageously speak up to help remove the stigma and increase the public\u2019s understanding.<\/p>\n
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