I was diagnosed two months ago with ulcerative colitis, after nine months of the most horrible experience ever. I didn't realize just how close I came to ending up in the hospital. I'm just horribly grateful that I got diagnosed and that unending searing agony of hot coals stuffed up my colon has finally come to an end! My coworkers are also pleased I no longer have to go tearing off down the hall every 40 minutes.

But we need a cure, not nine gigantic choke-inducing pills a day for the rest of our lives!!!!!

And so....I am participating in the crohn's and colitis foundation of america 3k guts & glory walk taking place in mountain view on sept. 9th. I'd like to ask for your support in helping to raise greatly needed funds to improve research and educational programs for the more than 1.4 million children and adults suffering from crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

The crohn's & colitis foundation of america's (ccfa) mission is to cure and prevent crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis through research, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these digestive diseases through education and support.

All donations made to this walk are handled directly through ccfa itself; I never see or handle any of the donations, so you don't need to worry about that. To donate, go to
http://ccfa.Kintera.Org/faf/search/searchp articipants.A...44e6854e83bd0c681b23
and search for walker gretchen helms.

Many many thanks, from the depths of my guts!
(ps apologies for the very strange caps. In preview mode things are cap'd correctly, but not in the post. Go figure.)