Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - Crohn's Disease Story

I didn't get a chance to see it, but two of the people on Extreme Makeover Home Edition last night suffer from Crohn's Disease. Did anyone see it? Side note, I participated on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition project in Orlando, and actually created the website and much of the content.

When the Akers family of West Chester were selected by the show for a new home in July, there was a lot of attention on the two Akers' girls. They are living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a disease that causes their muscles to deteriorate.

The father Greg Akers and son Christian Akers also have health problems. They have Crohn's disease. It's a painful, unpredictable bowel disease that attacks the digestive system.
"It's like having the flu for weeks, months," said Shellie Doub, a Liberty Township woman who has two children with Crohn's disease.

"It really limits what they can do," said Shellie Doub of Liberty Township.

"If people could just extend those little kindnesses," said Doub, "to just come over and watch a video with them instead of be disappointed that they can't go out and play paintball or do the things other kids are doing."

Rachel Spradlin of the Cincinnati Area Crohn's and Colitis Foundation says 1.4 million Americans have been diagnosed with Crohn's or colitis. The two diseases are similar.
Spradlin said when the diseases are in remission you can live a normal life.
Medicine can reduce symptoms or the time between attacks but there is no cure.
She said people don't know much about Crohn's and colitis because it's not something people feel comfortable talking about.

"It's very personal," said Spradlin. "People don't go around saying they've been in the bathroom 30 times that day."