Dear-
Hi, my name is [insert name]. I was given your contact from Gastroenterologist [insert name]. He recommended I reach out to you and share my IBD story as potentially I can be of help to others struggling with IBD like I once did.
I live in the Cleveland area and I absolutely love and appreciate the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, with all the support it offers for people, including myself who has had IBD for 17 years.
It can be a scary time when someone is diagnosed with IBD. There is so much uncertainty and conflicting information that patients encounter. As a patient with Crohn’s Disease myself, I was always looking for support, and resources as to what if anything I could do for my health that could help me. The doctors and the entire health care team obviously play a vital role - but what can the patient do? What could I do?
I have learned a lot in the past 17 years about living with IBD and I am extremely happy to say that I have been living the past 5 years symptom free!
I know that most people think that there is nothing that they can do but there are so many things that they can do to help with managing their stress, their nutrition, activity and sleep. And these things actually do make a huge difference. I have been offering free Workshops and Talks on living a healthy lifestyle and what a person with IBD can do to improve their overall health and well being. Receiving treatments from their doctors is extremely important, but what I have learned is when the stress of work, parenting and relationships enters the equation, it can be a downward spiral undoing the benefit they could have gotten from the treatment. There are some simple tips that can help optimize their results and help them live a normal and functional life.
All of this to say, thank you for the work you do. I appreciate your organization. I am happy to help if you feel that would benefit. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of service to your community.
Sincerely,