Efforts are underway to set up a Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Chapter in Owen Sound.
Matt Frillman is working hard to organize the group after being diagnosed with colitis and realizing there is no local support system.
He says he desperately wished there was someone he could talk to about what he was going through — but the closest support groups were in Kitchener-Waterloo and Barrie.
Frillman says compounding the problem is a social stigma surrounding inflammatory bowel disease, making many people unwilling to talk about it.
But he says there’s no question that many people in the Owen Sound area are wishing they had someone to turn to.
Frillman says currently there are over 200-thousand Canadians living with IBD, with 92-hundred new cases diagnosed every year.
He says that makes it three times more common than MS and about as common as Type 1 Diabetes – but even still, we just don’t talk about it.
Frillman says by setting up a support group, people could call the Foundation and be given the contact information of local people willing to help.
He says the other major focus of the group will be fundraising.
Frillman is planning a Heel ‘n Wheel-a-thon, one of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s major fundraisers, at Harrison Park this summer.
But he says while he’s gotten things started, volunteers are still needed.
If you’re interested in helping to organize a Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Chapter in Owen Sound – call Matt at 519-371-2634 or email him at frillman1@hotmail.com.