Noah was 11 ½ when his pediatrician noticed that he was tired and not growing. He had a tough year; abdominal pain, an anaphylactic reaction to his Crohn’s medication, changing doctors, switching medications, and missing most of camp. But something great happened during the summer of 2016. He was inspired. He watched as a college athlete with Crohn’s disease won two medals at the Olympics for swimming, and then thanked her doctors and nurses who got her into competitive form despite her chronic illness. He then searched the internet for athletes with Crohn’s disease and found this USA Today article where Larry Nance Jr. shared his story.
Larry was diagnosed at age 16 when he was tired and not growing. He also loves sports, plays NBA2K and fantasy football. He also met his potential and is an NBA player. But Larry also manages to find time to listen to other kids with Crohn’s and colitis, talking to them during his four hour infusion of medication every seven weeks.
Noah wrote Larry on social media, and to make a much longer story a bit shorter, he responded. That one phone call lead to the creation of Athletes vs Crohn's.
Our mission is to raise awareness of Crohn’s and colitis in the adolescent population and help children to realize their athletic potential despite being diagnosed with a chronic illness. We hope to connect young people afflicted with Crohn’s and colitis to athletes who have overcome similar challenges and who will mentor and inspire them to succeed.
