Happy 144th!

It’s July 1st - Happy Canada Day!

As we all know, Canada has the highest incidence rate of IBD in the entire world - the statistic to remember is every 1 in 160 Canadians is directly affected by IBD. Our bowels get it somewhere, and it just might be the soil we call home. No one knows why, but for whatever reason, IBD is especially Canadian.

And so we should celebrate Canada’s birthday with the same pride and excitement that we walked our HnW’s with - more voices (and more bowels for that matter) are always better than a single one. The CCFC is a uniquely Canadian charity, having been molded by passionate parents less than fifty years ago, and having raised millions for IBD research, in fact, the CCFC is the number one non-governmental funder of IBD research in the world. What does that mouthful mean? It means that every penny is making a difference.

1 in 160 isn’t rare enough that we’re a headlining illness, but it’s not common enough for the average Joe to understand what an ulcer in the gut means. So how do we break down barriers and raise awareness when we’re over 200,000 Canadians waiting in bathrooms wanting to be free?

Answer: in our own gutsy way. Think about Terry Fox or Michael J. Fox, Canadians who put their minds and hearts towards cures for their diseases and are now household names. We are the gutsy generation, with every step we take and story we share, we are making headway to the cure. Your part may be participating in your local HnW each spring. It may be applying for the Youth Advisory Council. It may be planning a fundraiser for your chapter, or having an awareness day at your school, or even donating the spare change you found in your sofa. No matter how young or old, how sick or healthy, you can make a huge impact and you can do it right now.

Happy birthday to good ol’ Canada - a country that gave us the CCFC, lots of gutsy people, and one that will one day give us a priceless cure.

Jennie