Whose bright idea was this?

I'll be honest: I sit at home all day and watch a lot of TV. A LOT of TV. I am coming to feel like Rachael Ray is a personal friend of mine. As I watch all this TV I've seen this commercial a few times, and it really just burns me up.



I know the intent was most likely just to raise awareness of Crohn's, what it is, how it affects you, but I have to say that commercial really depresses the crap out of me. As someone dealing with a recent diagnosis, that is the most discouraging thing I have seen or heard. Everyone who has Crohn's is affected differently; so, for instance, someone else may have to avoid a food that I can eat with no problems. Since I don't yet know how my unique case is going to play out in my normal everyday life - since I'm not currently living my normal everyday life - hearing all the things those people say in the commercial brings me way, way down. If I'd written this, that certainly is not the message I would want to convey.

And you know what? I'm not going to turn into one of those people. The medicine I'm currently taking, I get via IV infusion about every eight weeks - no dealing with "so many pills." I refuse to hide at home because it's too much of a hassle to plan "every detail" of going out, or because I'm afraid. The pain - yeah, it's bad - but I will deal with the pain when it comes, and learn how to avoid it next time. And BY GOD, nothing short of death would cause me to miss my best friend's wedding - this disease certainly won't do it. Living like those people describe, that's not living. I'm going to live. I'm going to do everything I ever wanted to do, and Crohn's disease is the very last thing I'm going to let stand in my way.