About Me

Living with Crohn’s disease

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2017. This moment in my life was the beginning of a journey full of challenges, learning and self-discovery. However, it also led me to realize my own strength and ability to inspire others.

Half a year before the surgery, I started to feel weak. It wasn’t just fatigue, but rather a constant exhaustion that affected my daily activities. It all started with an abscess that appeared near my rectum. I felt a tumor in the right part of my abdomen, which, as I later learned from the medical report, contained accumulated pus. This discovery caused concern not only for me, but also for my family. It was a time of uncertainty, when we didn’t know exactly what was wrong with me.

I underwent surgery, during which 1/3 of my colon and 10 cm of my small intestine were removed. After the surgery, I realized that life would be different from now on. It was a difficult but important lesson. I accepted my illness and I accepted it completely. The period of learning how to live with this disease began, so that I could feel my best.

Every day I asked myself questions: What to eat and how often? How to have enough energy at work? How to explain my situation to those around me? It helped me a lot when I reached out to the official patient community. I found out how other people with this disease are doing and I gained more self-confidence. I realized that life with Crohn’s does not have to be bad. On the contrary, it can be fulfilling and inspiring.

Today I am actively involved in helping others. For this purpose, the IBDWarriorLife project was created. The goal of the project is to help patients with IBD manage their journey. That is why I decided to share my experiences and successes, which have kept me in remission for 7 years. I want to give courage to live a full life to all those who are struggling with this disease. The goal is also to show that despite the difficulties, we can live a happy and fulfilling life. By publishing my story, I want to inspire others and be an inspiration to them even in difficult days.

With Crohn’s disease, I have learned that life is unpredictable and often throws obstacles at us. But these obstacles make us stronger. Every day is a new opportunity to fight, live and dream. I believe that together we can achieve a better quality of life for all those living with IBD.

Today I know that I am not alone. Together we can help and we are stronger.

With love and strength,
IBD Warrior – Vlado