This is Steph. She's young, vibrant and fun. She is organized and loves to travel. If you met her today, this is how she'd look. By outward appearances, she looks like she hasn't a care in the world.

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2017 has been a rough year for Steph. She's faced her own mortality- twice; in the name of Crohn's Disease. Her diagnosis came on December 25, 2015 at the age of 23 after she'd spent 22 hours vomiting. Since her diagnosis, she's never been in remission, and most of her time has been considered at a severe level. She had to modify her diet and take medications to try and simply carry on. 

One year after diagnosis, it was determined that to bring her intense level of pain and illness down to a more bearable state, she'd have to have surgery. Steph now lives with 8 inches less of ileum and 2 inches less of sigmoid in her digestive system. After a severe allergic reaction to her medication, she has been recovering.

This woman has had to explain to her family her wishes in the event that she didn't survive her surgery. And you know that YOLO chant? She lives it every single day, because Steph lives with the knowledge that her Crohn's can't be cured and she's likely to go for another round of surgery. But this girl isn't going down without a fight.

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Accepting her scars and paying tribute to her fight were the themes of our session. Steph ordered an old pair of boxing gloves that were shipped from the Ukraine. I was honored to be part of her recovery. Travel plans that were put on hold this past year are back on the schedule. Steph doesn't show signs of slowing down. She'll lead the way, and the Crohn's will have to follow her--- not the other way around.