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My Crohn's Story

Hi, I’m Lucy and I live on a farm in Moora in the Whealtbelt in Western Australia. When I’m not working with my horses or on my Equifit business, I enjoy working as a Chiropractic Assistant at the Moora Chiropractic Clinic. I’m also a sufferer of Crohn’s Disease and an activist for the MAP Vaccine which has recently been developed by Professor John Hermon Taylor at Kings College in London.

My journey with Crohn’s Disease began about five years ago when I began to develop severe digestive problems. I’d always had a cast iron stomach and it was unusual for me to have any abdominal problems but, like many sufferers of Crohn’s Disease, I began to experience fierce stomach cramps and debilitating lethargy that rendered me incapable of carrying out most activities of daily living.

Crohn’s Disease is inflammation of the intestines so it makes sense that many sufferers experience abdominal symptoms. Other symptoms of Crohn’s Disease can include fever and fatigue, rectal bleeding, skin disorders and mouth ulcers. I personally experienced a dramatic decline in my overall health. A state of fatigue, weakness and pain became my everyday norm.

There are many good Gastroenterologists in Perth and I saw a couple of them in my search for relief from the terrible symptoms that I was experiencing. Initially, I was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disorder and prescribed medication consistent with my diagnosis. After those drugs didn’t work, we tried oral steroids and then IV steroids with the hope of reducing the inflammation in my digestive tract.

The symptoms of Crohn’s Disease can be vague and misleading and it is not unusual for sufferers to need to be monitored for years before a clear diagnosis can be made. It is rare for a patient to pass away as a direct result of Crohn’s Disease but the rapidity of weight loss and severity of abdominal symptoms can render life very difficult for Crohn’s patients. Without over sharing some terrible personal details with you, my life eventually became so unbearable that I began to accept the advice of my surgeon; that I needed to have surgery to remove a piece of bowel and may need to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. Fortunately, before I booked the surgery, I heard an article on ABC radio about an open minded and passionate Gastroenterologist called Professor Borody, noted for his novel therapies in treating gastrointestinal disorders. I immediately booked a trip to Sydney to see him in the hope that he could help me manage or even cure me of my symptoms.

At my consultation with Dr Borody, I learned that he believed, contrary to popular belief, that Crohn’s Disease is caused by a micro bacterium called Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis. The previous teaching had been that Crohn’s Disease was an auto-immune disorder, a manifestation of the body attacking itself in response to a stimulus that is, in reality, quite harmless and has no need of an immune response.

Dr Borody immediately started me on 5 different antibiotics. It only took one week before I started to feel a subtle shift in my overall health. Slowly, my digestive function improved and I found that I was able to eat normally again. My energy levels increased and my abdominal cramps diminished. Happily, I found that I wasn’t searching for urgent toilet stops as much anymore!

After this long journey with Crohn’s Disease, I was very excited to learn that one of Professor Borody’s Colleagues, Professor John Hermon Taylor, also believes that the disease was caused by a microbacterium. He has been working on a cure for the last 30 years and has now developed a vaccine. Professor Taylor’s work has demonstrated a link between Crohn’s Disease in humans and Johne’s Disease in sheep and cattle, which appear to be caused by the same microbacterium. Although Professor Taylor’s vaccine has already been proven to be highly effective in animals, Crohn’s Disease sufferers still need to raise funds for a human trial before this vaccine can be available, and that’s where the Great Gatsby Charity Ball comes in. Thank you for supporting me by supporting this charity event, which I hope will contribute to the end of terrible suffering for Crohn’s Disease patients all over the world.