A Coquitlam man is speaking out about the need for more awareness about Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the need for a cure.
Matthew Sebastiani has been coping with the debilitating auto immune disease since he was a young Simon Fraser University student.
Now Sebastiani, 27, is calling on on others who experience pain, problems with bowel movements, weight loss and diminished appetite to reach out and connect with others coping with IBD.
“It’s challenging to live with a condition like this autoimmune chronic condition, there is no cure, no known cause,” Sebastiani told The Tri-City News this week.
He’s had flare ups over the years and has tried many different medications, something that is common with people experiencing the condition.
Still, he hasn’t let the disease stop him from working at his job as a corporate development associate with a company developing a treatment for cancer.
As well, Sebastiani is now the president of the Vancouver chapter of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, which includes the Tri-Cities, and in addition to organizing support meetings for members is helping with a major fundraiser for the national organization.
“I do feel despite living with challenges of chronic condition, it’s pushed me to achieve more and challenged me to give back,” he said.
The 25th annual Gutsy Walk, which is being held virtually Sunday, Aug. 23, is a critical event for raising awareness and funding for colitis research
He encouraged people to participate in the walk by joining friends and family in a physically-distanced manner. The Burquitlam resident will be walking in the Miller Park area, he said.
“A lot of new people are coming out to support, it’s more convenient to be able to walk anywhere, anyhow,” he said, noting previous walks were held at Trout Lake in Vancouver.
According to Sebastiani, last year’s walk in Vancouver had a big impact on the lives of the over the one in 140 Canadians living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as the event raised just over $99,000.
The goal is to fund research for discovering cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and improving the lives of everyone affected by these life-altering diseases.
For information about the Gutsy Walk and how you can contribute, visit https://crohnsandcolitiscanada.akaraisin.com/ui/GutsyWalk2020/g/22522
For more information about the disease, visit https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/
