Stand-Up to Crohn's and Colitis!
Looking for a fun evening out that combines laughs, a chance to win great auction items, and a spirited round of Glo-golf – all in support of a worthy cause? Mark your calendars for Friday, November 18, for the 4th Annual Stand Up for Crohn’s and Colitis fundraiser.
The event, established by the Daniel Island-based Woodward Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (WoodwardCCF.com), will be sponsored this year by Blackbaud. Joining the line-up of activities will be Hollywood Comedian Ben Morrison, who is set to take the stage at 8:30 p.m.
Proceeds generated from the event will be used to battle Crohn’s and Colitis, the pernicious and painful twin syndromes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, a disorder that disrupts the lives of over one million Americans, 25 percent of whom are under the age of 20. Funds will be dedicated to continued research into The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, a promising, and far more palatable alternative to the usual rounds of steroids and surgeries. The diet is already providing tremendous relief to children suffering from IBD.
Colitis damages the lining of the large and small intestine but can affect any part of the GI tract, while in Crohn’s, inflammation eats away at deep pockets of the lining of the large intestine, leaving sores and lesions. Inflammatory Bowel Disease not only wreaks destructive havoc on the intestines, it can damage joints and, by robbing children of vital nutrients, often impedes their growth. Most children with IBD suffer not only from frequent belly pain - but bear the cross of frequent hospital visits, surgeries and daily doses of steroids and other medications. While these remedies do help…all too often, the relief is limited.
Just ask Daniel Island mom Gisele Woodward, whose children were often doubled over in stomach pain for years. Her son, Jack, was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 8, while her daughter, Kristina, was diagnosed the following year, at age 10, with Ulcerative Colitis. While surgery and medication helped to minimize some of their painful symptoms, they still occasionally complained of stomach pain. Woodward observed that Jack was not growing and Kristina often groaned about ankle and shoulder pain. Desperate for a more effective solution, Woodward sought the advice of Dr. Benjamin Gold, a pediatric gastrointestinal specialist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, who raised the possibility of trying a new, diet-based approach to treating IBD, still in the experimental stages.
“I was immediately in,” said Woodard, who established the Woodward Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation about four years ago. “I put the whole family on the diet, including me and my husband, Mark, who has suffered from Crohn’s since he was a young adult. Certainly, the diet was a drastic change. Withdrawal from your favorite breads and pastas is not fun, but in the end the diet has been completely worth it. In a very short time, we saw dramatic, lasting changes in our children. The bellyaches stopped. Kristina’s joint pain is gone. Jack has grown taller. It was nothing short of a miracle!”
While no one knows the exact cause of IBD, the medical community suspects that an overload of bad bacteria in the intestines triggers an already faulty immune system to attack the body - specifically the intestines where these bacteria thrive. Bad bacteria feed on sugars like candy, cookies, cereal, as well as foods that convert to sugar like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
Conversely, when we aim for a healthier intestinal environment, sticking with fruit, vegetables, proteins like meat, fish and chicken, and fermented dairy products like yogurt and some cheeses, not only will good bacteria thrive - healthy children will, too.
According to Woodward, the scientific name for bacterium, good and bad, is “microbiome,” a hot new buzzword right now in the medical community.
“Medical experts are talking about the effects of healthy and unhealthy microbiomial environments, not only with regard to IBD but other autoimmune diseases as well,” she said. “The wider medical community, as well as patients and parents across the country - are intrigued by the news of dramatic changes that can be brought about using just food as medicine.”
“While we have seen dramatic changes in our children’s lives with the diet, anecdotal data is not enough,” continued Woodward. “In order for the diet to be accepted by the wider medical community, as a truly effective, prescriptive remedy, clinical trials are needed. But they are expensive to implement. That’s why we set up the Woodward CCF.”
Woodward said the organization is hoping to raise at least $50,000 at this year’s Stand Up to Crohn’s and Colitis event. So far, through generous sponsors like Blackbaud, they have raised $16,000 towards their goal.
The first event and initial pledge letter, in 2012, raised $100,000 followed by equally successful fundraisers in the years after that. To date, the funding has helped to support a successful 20 patient clinical trial shared by The Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the Seattle Children’s Hospital. The results of the trial, to be published in detail in early 2017, provide solid medical evidence that the Specific Carbohydrate Diet does work. In the research performed with 10 patients back in 2012 by the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 80 percent of the children who took part in the six month trial were in remission at three months. A third more comprehensive study examining the effects of the diet on 100 patients will be launched early next year. For this third phase, estimated to cost about $2.5 million, Woodward is personally involved with the investigating team.
Funds raised also help to support critical on-going efforts to educate doctors as well as caregivers and patients about the IBD and the benefits of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Woodward is also actively involved with the Atlanta chapter of Improved Care Now (ICN). The organization, composed of Pediatric GI specialists, patients and their parents, also provides education and support with a focus on solutions to practical challenges, such as the right questions you should be asking your GI specialist. Woodward describes her role in the Atlanta chapter of ICN as “carrying the torch of nutrition.” Additionally, she recently earned a certification as a pediatric nutritional coach from Dr. Williams Sears, the well-known pediatrician and author of dozens of best-selling books on baby and child care.
“I have so much knowledge about the benefits of good nutrition, especially for children,” she said. “I want to share this knowledge with others.”
Treating IBD with the diet is easy and hard at the same time, admits Woodward. Easy because you get to treat a complicated condition with a simple, easy-to-reach-for solution. And hard because the food choices are not always easy to stick with, especially for children.
“My dream is for a discussion of IBD and the Special Carbohydrate Diet to enter the mainstream, just like Celiac Disease and the term ‘gluten-free’ did years ago,” added Woodward.
While Jack and Kristina, now in remission from IBD, can occasionally enjoy a favorite treat, like ice cream or french fries, they get into trouble if they have any more than one or two.
“We follow the diet together as a family to support each other,” Woodward continued. “While medicine can still provide benefits - Jack continues a modified regimen - it’s the diet, more than anything, that has brought about the dramatic, lasting changes in our children…Best of all, I see my children smiling, enjoying life.”
Stand Up to
Crohn’s & Colitis
Comedian, Auction & Glo-Golf!
Friday, November 18
Daniel Island Club
The 4th Annual Stand Up for Crohn’s and Colitis Event, presented by the Woodward CCF and sponsored by Blackbaud will take place at the Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Drive. Glo-Golf begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a party and auction at 7:30 p.m., and an appearance by Hollywood Comedian Ben Morrison at 8:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, go to WoodwardCCF.com or email Gisele@woodwardccf.com.