Category Archives: Podcast

About IBD Podcast 34 – How to Apply Critical Thinking to Reporting on IBD

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The internet runs on advertising, which means that editors and writers are often tasked with getting the most possible eyeballs on their story. That can mean that there’s pressure to write a controversial or sensational headline to get those clicks. In this episode, I invite veteran medical writer and university instructor, Shereen Lehman, to weigh in and tell you how to figure out if a story about IBD is good reporting — or if it’s crap.

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It's Important to Share Your Stories

About IBD Podcast 33 – It’s Important to Share Your Stories

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Why is it important to tell our stories? Every person who has IBD is unique and so is their disease journey. You might not think your experience is relevant to others living with IBD or another chronic condition, but it is, in many ways. A story can provide validation and hope while helping put the reality of life with IBD in perspective. Brooke Abbott of The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles and IBD Moms and I continue our discussion of how we can support others with IBD through telling our stories and listening to yours.

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Community Doesn’t Just Create Itself

About IBD Podcast 32 – Community Doesn’t Just Create Itself

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What are your traditions around Thanksgiving? What we eat and how we celebrate Thanksgiving depends on where we live, our ethnicity, and our family traditions. What matters is coming together and remembering to be thankful. Brooke Abbott of The Crazy Creole Mommy Chronicles and IBD Moms tells me about some of her family’s Thanksgiving traditions and how she talks about being grateful with her son. We discuss some of the ways we try to support the IBD community and what we can do better, especially during the hectic and stressful holiday season. Plus, see the end of the show notes for some of Brooke’s recipes!

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About IBD Podcast 31 – How Much Information Do You Put Out There?

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Dating can be challenging for anyone at any stage in life, but having IBD and/or other chronic conditions adds another level of difficulty that can be disconcerting. Angela Cohen was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease after her intestine perforated. Her long-term relationship ended not long after and she was thrust into the dating world. What she discovered while going on more than a few “first dates” was illuminating not only about how IBD and other autoimmune conditions are perceived by potential partners but also about herself and what she wants to get out of dating, as well as her life goals. Continue reading →

About IBD Podcast 30 – I Just Kept Living With Bad Pain

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Even when you’re knowledgeable about IBD, it can still sneak up on you and skew your perception of how much control the disease has over your life. Angelica Catalano, Director of Media Partnerships at The Mighty, describes how ulcerative colitis has affected her since her diagnosis at the age of 6, and how she was living with symptoms on a daily basis. Emergency surgery shook her world, prompting her to make a change in her treatment program to prevent future IBD-related complications. Through her work at The Mighty, Angelica pursues her passion of helping people with chronic illness improve their quality of life by bringing them together with the nonprofits that provide support and resources.

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About IBD Podcast 29 – I’m Sick and Nobody Will Help Me

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What have you done when you couldn’t get anyone to take the symptoms of IBD seriously and you found yourself out of options? For Meredith, the road to a Crohn’s disease diagnosis was long and so frustrating that she wound up pleading for help from a specialist she’d never met. Going online to connect with other patients also took Meredith to places both light and dark, and she, Jaime, and I sort through our various experiences with social media as well as how we can work towards creating more hopeful content for new IBD patients in the future.

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Episode 28 - I Am Beyond Thankful

About IBD Podcast 28 – I Am Beyond Thankful

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Is it possible to take the diagnosis that turned your world upside down and turn it into a positive force in your life? My guest on About IBD is Lilly Stairs, Head of Patient Advocacy at Clara Health who lives with Crohn’s disease did exactly that. First diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, it was only after Lilly’s symptoms weren’t improving and she was in and out of the hospital that healthcare providers finally discovered a Crohn’s disease flare-up in her small bowel. Lilly found the right mix of treatments to get her Crohn’s under control and now works with her team at Clara to connect patients to clinical trials.
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About IBD - Why I Started Podcasting

Why I Started a Podcast About IBD

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Podcasting is not my job. I’m fortunate enough that I can indulge in something that feeds my soul because I am paid for writing and for consulting (both inside the IBD space and outside of it). There’s no money in podcasting for me as of this writing. I don’t have sponsors and I don’t do it on behalf of someone else. I do it because I had an idea and I wanted to explore it. I gathered my support network around me and I jumped right in with both feet.
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About IBD Podcast 27 – Welcome to Camp Oasis

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What is your favorite week of the year? For the kids, counselors, and volunteers at Camp Oasis, their favorite is camp week. Learn more about a summer camp that’s designed especially for kids who have IBD but is also the place where the campers actually feel the most freedom from their disease. Amber visited camp on visitor’s day and talked with campers, leaders in training, and counselors to find out what makes Camp Oasis so special to them.
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Episode 26 - Why Didn't I Do This Sooner_

About IBD Podcast 26 – Why Didn’t I Do This Sooner?

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What happens when a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease stands between you and your chosen career? This is exactly the barrier that veteran journalist and news anchor Natalie Hayden faced in the early days after her IBD diagnosis. Her decision was to gather her support system around her and get camera ready. Find out how she made it as a morning news anchor, found the love of her life, started her family, and founded Lights, Camera, Crohn’s.

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