Fantastic Cause: Gutsy Walk 2014 - Crohn's and Colitis Canada

Support My Journey Please go to - http://bit.ly/1mDe2or for the full story and article on the Crohn's and Colitis Canada website, as well as videos and related media. Please sponsor James at - http://bit.ly/1rlL224 and make a difference. I am donating $20 and I encourage you to do the same! Dear Family and Friends, First my story, Let me tell you a little bit about the 'Great Perforation' of 2009.  It was a Saturday, just days before my birthday in April, and I was having a pretty standard hangover (or so I thought) - headache, tired, the odd trip to the bathroom - but nothing I was too concerned about.  After dinner I started feeling really strange - extremely bad abdomen pains, gas pains, and an urge to rush to the bathroom like no other I have felt before!!! I thought I was coming down with the flu, as I began to feel nauseous as well.  As I eagerly anticipated the 'Bathroom Perfect Storm' (Nausea, Pain, and Horrific Other Things I will spare you from) of epic proportions to pass, something happened... My guts exploded!! My abdomen seized and flexed and I could not unflex it, followed by an unimaginable-never-ending pain from head to toe I would not wish on my worst enemy!  yikes!  After all of this madness - which at first, no one knew what was wrong - I had emergency surgery to figure out what had happened.... A perforated bowel caused by Crohn's disease - oh yeah... that's when I got diagnosed with Crohn's disease - not the most pleasant way to find out about something like that.  Long story short - 7 inches of my intestines were removed and I was on the road to recovery.   For a long time I knew something was wrong, and I was stupidly either 'too busy' or 'too embarrassed' to bring it up.  Not any more and not ever again. I now look at nature's little 'business meetings', even at the worst of times, with a new point of view - Comedy! Laughter is the best medicine and the best way to get through the bad experiences. Now for the Gutsy Walk,  Canada has one of the highest rates for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world and those rates are increasing. Most alarming, the number of new cases of Crohn’s disease in Canadian children has almost doubled since 1995. Crohn’s and colitis are lifelong diseases that can have a devastating impact on quality of life, elevate the risk of colorectal cancer, and in the case of Crohn’s disease, shorten life expectancy.  On Sunday, June 8th, 2014 I will be participating at the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Gutsy Walk. This cause is very important to me, which is why I’m asking you to be GUTSY and support my fundraising efforts by making a donation. These much-needed funds will support critical research and education to find cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the lives of children and adults affected by these chronic diseases. THANK YOU FOR BEING GUTSY! Sincerely, James Bridgewater