Providing a sense of hope, knowledge, ideas, emotional/mental health support for other caregivers

The summer of my son’s diagnosis was one our family will never forget. While backpacking in California, my then 16-year-old son developed severe, life-threatening diarrhea. This would ultimately lead to a diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and within 18 months my son would have a total colectomy. We ended up at an ImproveCareNow care center – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/GI Care for Kids – and the rest is history as they say. Except that “history” has been long, overwhelming, saddening, frustrating, hopeful, and inspiring, full of questions.
Looking back over the journal I kept during my son’s diagnosis, I am reminded of what was missing – information for the caregiver.