‘Bowl vs. Bowel’: West Seattleite raising $ to seek Crohn’s cure

| Health | How to help | West Seattle news

It’s a disease that’s difficult to talk about … but even more difficult to live with. Crohn’s Disease has no cure – but that’s not stopping a West Seattle patient, Heidi Coy, from doing what she can to help find one. She’s organized the Bowl vs. Bowel fundraising bowling event at West Seattle Bowl this Saturday night. She tells the story:

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis April 29, 2008. After suffering chronic pain, consistent vomiting and diarrhea, fevers, fatigue, and losing more than 30 pounds in body weight, I was not able to keep any nutrients in my body. I underwent diagnostic testing revealing I have Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Little is known about what causes Crohn’s Disease and there is no known cure. I am currently able to work as a full-time nanny and am a mother to an 19-month-old son. He is the light of my life and want nothing more than to be healthy for him. I will be on medicine and other treatments, as well as dealing with flare-ups for the rest of my life.

On July 9, 2011 we will be putting on a bowling fundraiser “Bowl vs. Bowel” to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. I would like to give back to this foundation (CCFA) to help raise money while I am healthy to hopefully find a cure. This fundraiser will take place at WS Bowl from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Help fund research and treatment of all Irritable Bowel Diseases. Every amount counts great or small. Cost is $20 a person. Raffle tickets $1 each or 15 for $10. There will be raffle prizes, shot calls for prizes, great music, $2 jello shots, HighStrike Grill, a helpful and welcoming staff, and a great time had by all!

You can pre-register to ensure your spot at WS Bowl; discounts if you register a team of 5. Contact Chris at ctroupe27@gmail.com – mention Crohn’s fundraiser. You don’t want to miss this! Thank you for your support!!

chris July 6, 2011 (2:26 pm)

This is going to be an amazingly fun event! Nobody is going to make you sit down and listen to a 2 hour lesson about irritable bowel diseases. This night is all about celebrating life and having fun while raising money to help find a cure and better treatments. For three years now I have been with Heidi and can tell you all that she is a very tough woman, more than I think even she realizes. This disease has not stopped her from living her life but behind the curtain it is very taxing on her. As I do not have Crohn’s disease myself it took a while to adjust my life and way of thinking to accommodate those moments. If helping fundraise can even relieve a mere moment of the pain, discomfort, confusion, or embarassment that is associated with this then I will pour my maximum effort into it. I hope many of you who read this are able to attend. Like I said it will be a blast. If nothing else Jeff Swanson and the staff at West Seattle Bowl definately know how to throw a party! Can’t wait to meet and greet all of you there.
Chris

Cascadianone July 6, 2011 (4:16 pm)

Just an idea to chew on, there may be non-standard treatments for this disease which all sufferers should give some consideration to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy

chris July 7, 2011 (6:04 am)

I would like to thank the West Seattle Blog for putting this article up for us to help with our efforts to bring more awareness and fund research and possible treatments for this disease. Many have emailed me with possible ways to help treat or even cure this disease. As I read these articles and links and look into the different book suggestions it dawns on me that this is exactly why we do the Take Steps Walk and help to fund the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. There is so much information out there that could be of benefit to those that suffer from this disease and so much that is still unknown. All of these bright minds at one table could do miraculous things but we have to be able to open the door to those kinds of studies. Help us do that by helping us raise the funds. If you have some of the information that has been sent to me contact the CCFA and offer your services. Heidi and myself love to read these many articles and want to see through working with her doctor and her own comfort levels if some of these treatments may be of some benefit to her. Like I stated earlier however that information in the hands of a researcher or doctor could become of great benefit to this community as a whole. Hope to see all of you Saturday. Thank you so much for all of your interest and concerns.

WSB July 7, 2011 (11:42 am)

(Please note, this is a message to people who have tried to leave off-topic comments that we have not approved for publication, NOT to the previous commenter): WSB comment rules include “stay on topic.” In this case, the topic is an invitation to participate in a fundraiser. Period. (Or, you are free to choose not to.) It is not a soapbox for trying to convince the person organizing the fundraiser that they have been misled or somehow are doing something wrong – same as our rules prohibiting blaming the victim in crime stories (a la “why did you leave that item in your car in the first place?”). If you would like to discuss the topic of alternative medicine, for example, I invite you to the always-busy WSB Forum, where you are free to open a discussion on that (or almost any other, within reason) topic, without having to have a related news story. https://westseattleblog.com/forum – TR

Tara July 7, 2011 (12:47 pm)

Thank you WSB. However, Chris is the Co-organizer of the event and Heidi’s loving bf. No need to chastise him.

WSB July 7, 2011 (12:48 pm)

I wasn’t – I know that, since we see e-mail addresses and his is in the story. I’m speaking to the people who keep trying to leave comments along the lines I mentioned. They have not been approved for publication – I will add a few words and make that clearer.

Tara July 7, 2011 (12:51 pm)

Thank you for clearing that up!

chris July 7, 2011 (12:58 pm)

Thank you to the west seattle blog and to tara :). This has always been a tough situation to get people to understand. Which is why its such a”silent” disease. This going to be a fun night and a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness and funds towards better treatments and a possible cure some day.

Michael July 7, 2011 (3:28 pm)

So, WSB, you’re saying that in order to respond to this post, someone must start another post? Isn’t that what the comments section is for, to respond to an existing post?

Sorry, comment time is over.