What it means to be Canadian

Boy with IBD holding a Canadian flag on Canada Day

There are so many reasons to be proud to be Canadian.

We rank as one of the happiest countries in the world by the United Nations.

We invented basketball in 1891, and then brought the NBA championship home just this past month.

We are at the forefront of the international research community, with over a century of innovations and discoveries across multiple disciplines.

But we also have one of the highest rates of Crohn’s and colitis in the world.

Last November, our organization published the Impact of IBD in Canada report, which provided an in-depth look into how Crohn’s and colitis affects our country, and what we need to prepare for in the coming years:

  • Currently, 300,000 Canadians live with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Over 7,000 of these Canadians are children.
  • Seniors are the fastest growing group of Canadians living with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • By 2030, experts expect 400,000 Canadians will live with one of these diseases.

These numbers tell a frightening story—but we are more than just numbers. We are members of the Crohn’s and colitis community. We are Canadians.

Canada Day Icons

We will not let these diseases bring us down. Think about the strength that you see in local chapter meetings. Think about the solidarity shown every year at our Gutsy Walk.

Just as how each unique individual experience with Crohn’s or colitis helps paint a picture of the larger IBD landscape, it is through a combination of individual efforts that we are moving closer to better understanding these diseases and finding cures.

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is the world’s second largest health charity funder of Crohn’s and colitis research. This Canada Day, we hope you can be a part of the search for cures. Your donation will go towards supporting this groundbreaking research so that, one day, we will see a future free of Crohn’s and colitis.

From the bottom of our hearts, and on behalf of all Canadians affected by these diseases, thank you for your ongoing commitment to our community. 
 

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  • Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn's and colitis in the world.
  • 1 in 140 Canadians lives with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Families new to Canada are developing these diseases for the first time.
  • Incidence of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995.
  • People are most commonly diagnosed before age 30.

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