{"id":514,"date":"2018-11-27T18:58:25","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T18:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2018\/11\/27\/20181115more-than-meets-the-eye\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:38:24","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:38:24","slug":"20181115more-than-meets-the-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2018\/11\/27\/20181115more-than-meets-the-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"Athletes struggling with Crohn\u2019s Disease battle more than opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:1936.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:50.0%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Header-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Header photo.jpg\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Header-photo.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Header-photo.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1936x968\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Header photo.jpg\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5bedcff7f950b7e54c7da8ae\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Photo courtesy \u2013 IPZ, Team USA, YaleBulldogs <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>By: Joshua Silverman<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>\ufeff<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Former Yale University basketball forward Matt Townsend remembers hearing the diagnosis. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&#8220;Crohn&#8217;s disease.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&#8220;Lifelong,&#8221; he recalls the doctor saying. &#8220;Daily medication.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The doctor&#8217;s conclusion devastated Townsend, a 6-foot-7 Rhodes Scholar who graduated in 2015.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&#8220;I just remember going home and crying in the shower,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Growing up, I can&#8217;t really remember other times emotionally crying like that.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Crohn\u2019s disease affects over 780,000 people in the United States. It\u2019s an inflammatory disease that attacks the small bowel and colon. While the cause is unknown, the pain can be so bad people can\u2019t get out of bed. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The pain and symptoms that come with it can often lead to surgery and the removal of the infected parts of a person\u2019s intestines. On top of the physical pain, the disease often exacts an emotional toll.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Athletes are not immune to the disease&#8217;s punishment, either. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">For Matt Townsend, former National Football League quarterback David Garrard, former National Hockey League wing Theo Fleury, Olympic swimmer Kathleen Baker, Cleveland Cavalier forward Larry Nance Jr. and others, Crohn\u2019s disease, and the symptoms that come with it, are just more competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Along with the emotions of being diagnosed, there is also the pain. Garrard, who has felt the punishment of NFL linebackers, could barely stand up his stomach hurt so badly. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhen I reported to the team in March of 2004, I told our trainer that my stomach\u2019s been bothering me and it\u2019s kind of always been a little upset,\u201d Garrard said. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cHe gave me some kind of diuretic,\u201d he added. \u201cI went back home later that night and threw it up and just sort of realized, ok, there is something more going on here than just an upset stomach. I went to the gastroenterologist the very next day and they did all these tests. The doctor got me in the room and said, it looks like it\u2019s Crohn\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He was blindsided by what was ahead.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI said, \u2018OK, great I\u2019ve never heard of that so it can\u2019t be that bad,\u2019\u201d Garrard said. \u201cI called my wife on the phone and told her and she started to look things up. She said, \u2018Wow, David it\u2019s a lot worse than what we thought it was.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">When Garrard was diagnosed in 2004, he had research and technology available. That can\u2019t be said for Fleury, whose diagnosis came in 1995 <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI was searching for information and ways to cope, ways to heal, ways to cure,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cI was at the mercy of my doctors and having to trust them and that they knew what they were doing.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp; Fleury, a perennial all-star, would continue on to score 445 goals over his 15 years career, mostly playing for the Calgary Flames.<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:594.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:140.404052734375%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.02-PM.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2018-11-15 at 3.05.02 PM.png\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.02-PM.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.02-PM.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"594x834\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2018-11-15 at 3.05.02 PM.png\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5bedd17a40ec9a7809906e2a\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Townsend dealt with the disease privately.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI think that living with a chronic illness, I never wanted to be framed by that disease,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want people to look at me differently or question my ability to perform at a high level. I guess I wanted more control over how I could shape my identity and felt more comfortable doing that without discussing that part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">According to the American College of Gastroenterology, Crohn&#8217;s disease &#8212; which has no cure &#8212; likely develops from a combination of genetic, environmental. and immune system factors. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">While the disease has a lot of negatives associated with it, it also brings an opportunity to build on your foundation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI think any adversity you face in life where you don\u2019t use destructive ways to deal with whatever you\u2019re dealt with puts you in a position of education and educating yourself,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cThat then allows you to help other people when they reach out for help.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Dr. Thomas Ullman, Chief Division of Gastroenterology at Montefiore Medical Center, has seen his patients\u2019 struggle differently depending on their lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhile an office worker or a college student might have the benefit of working from home or adjusting their schedule in some way to account for having a chronic illness, no such luxury is afforded to the professional athlete,\u201d Dr. Ullman said.&nbsp;\u201cAnecdotally, athletes in must adopt a resilience not known to non-athletes, likely a part of their emotional make-up t given the long hours of difficult physical training that is at the core of all professional athletes.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:1024.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:52.5390625%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/New-Photo.jpg\" alt=\"New Photo.jpg\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/New-Photo.jpg\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/New-Photo.jpg\" data-image-dimensions=\"1024x538\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"New Photo.jpg\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5bedd13270a6adf9ce10e91e\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Garrard, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft, played nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Jacksonville Jaguars, for whom he started 76 games. While he faced challenges in the NFL, his battle with Crohn\u2019s was different. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cCrohn\u2019s was something I had to rely on doctors and on medicine and on eating healthy for,\u201d Garrard said. \u201cIf I can get through something like that, then the other stuff is basically minute compared to that. This is something that could have almost destroyed my whole life if I really let it and didn\u2019t attack it head on and be positive throughout it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Baker, an American from Winston Salem, North Carolina, won a gold medal in the 4&#215;100 medley relay and a silver in the individual 100-meter backstroke at just 19 years old. She had already been dealing with her diagnosis for six years. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI have an extreme appreciation for my sport and Crohn\u2019s has made me appreciate being healthy,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely built up so much mental toughness whether that be in school, swimming or just in life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">As an autoimmune disease, Crohn\u2019s affects people in different ways. For example, while one course of action may ease one patient\u2019s symptoms, it may not for another individual.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI think from a very young age I had learned to, for lack of a better word, suck it up,\u201d Townsend added. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s always the best approach to things but I think for me personally it was very helpful and focusing my effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The emotional effects of the disease can hamper athletes nearly as much as the physical, too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhen I was diagnosed, my coach told me we weren\u2019t going to have to change any of my dreams because of this. I think that really meant a lot to me,\u201d Baker said. \u201cMy parents really helped me through everything and really made me feel like this wouldn\u2019t deteriorate any part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Garrard turned to his teammates for support.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey realized &#8211; in almost an instant &#8211; that the game was almost taken from me,\u201d Garrard said. \u201cThey showed up when I was in the hospital when I had my surgery (to have some his intestines removed). A lot of the coaches came in and wanted to make sure that I wasn\u2019t just there by myself &#8212; that they were there with me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Fleury, who also battled addiction during his 16-season career in the NHL, leaned on his sense of humor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI just think that you go through periods of time where you always have to be weary of where washrooms are in every situation that you\u2019re in because you never know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Fleury said. \u201cI\u2019ve had lots of accidents and lots of times when I wasn\u2019t close to a washroom and accidents happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After his diagnosis, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. was looking for a role model. Now, he has formed his own charity, Athletes vs. Crohn\u2019s disease. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWhat is really cool is Larry is one of those kids that, when he was first diagnosed, did research on what other athletes are out there that have it and of course my name came up for him and he was like, \u2018OK, this is my dude, this is my hero,\u201d Garrard said of the 2015 first-round pick. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Nance, who is 25 years old and in his fourth NBA season, speaks publicly about Crohn\u2019s disease, how it has affected him and how he deals with it. <\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI\u2019m proud to see that one of those kids that said I was an inspiration to him actually made it through. (He) does a lot of charity and, hopefully, I was able to be a little piece of that,\u201d Garrard said.<\/p>\n<div\n        class=\"\n          image-block-outer-wrapper\n          layout-caption-below\n          design-layout-inline\n          combination-animation-none\n          individual-animation-none\n          individual-text-animation-none\n        \"\n        data-test=\"image-block-inline-outer-wrapper\"\n    ><\/p>\n<figure\n            class=\"\n              sqs-block-image-figure\n              intrinsic\n            \"\n            style=\"max-width:998.0px;\"\n        ><\/p>\n<div\n              \n                style=\"padding-bottom:118.03606414794922%;\"\n              \n              class=\"\n                image-block-wrapper\n                \n          \n        \n                has-aspect-ratio\n              \"\n              data-animation-role=\"image\"\n              \n  \n\n          ><br \/>\n            <noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.45-PM.png\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2018-11-15 at 3.05.45 PM.png\" \/><\/noscript><img class=\"thumb-image\" data-src=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.45-PM.png\" data-image=\"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2018-11-15-at-3.05.45-PM.png\" data-image-dimensions=\"998x1178\" data-image-focal-point=\"0.5,0.5\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2018-11-15 at 3.05.45 PM.png\" data-load=\"false\" data-image-id=\"5bedd1b14fa51afdb811e026\" data-type=\"image\" \/>\n          <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\n<p><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After facing Crohn\u2019s head on, these star athletes are able to look at the disease as yet another challenge to overcome. They managed to play their respective sports at the highest levels despite the trouble that was happening inside their bodies. Taking on the disease wasn\u2019t just enough for them, they have now become an inspiration for the next generation of kids growing up with Crohn\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Best of the Rest:&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>   <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tZqeBzq3Au4?wmode=opaque&amp;enablejsapi=1\" height=\"480\" width=\"854\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\">Crohn\u2019s disease affects over 780,000 people in the United States. It\u2019s an inflammatory disease that attacks the small bowel and colon. While the cause is unknown, the pain can be so bad people can\u2019t get out of bed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capstone-projects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2460,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514\/revisions\/2460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}