At just two and a half years old, Emma was diagnosed with collagenous colitis, a rare form of ulcerative colitis with only a hundred documented cases in children.
Soon after her diagnosis, Emma quickly tried and failed three different treatments. Traditional medications were not designed for children her age, and her doctors were unsure of what to do next.
Tiny and weak, Emma lay in a hospital bed with a swollen stomach. Her parents were heartbroken to see their little girl in pain, unable to help and facing countless frightening unknowns.
This all happened during the holiday season three years ago. Thankfully, Emma was able to return home just days before Christmas. Her family did their best to make the holidays feel as normal as possible for Emma and her brother, Noah, despite how sick she was.
At the start of the new year, Emma began a new biologic medication that had recently come on the market. Her family felt a renewed sense of hope as she received her first infusion, believing it could mark a new beginning. And it did! The medication worked. Emma went from lying on the couch exhausted and in pain to playing soccer, dancing, and enjoying life again.
It felt like a miracle, until it wasn’t.
At first, the infusions remained effective for eight weeks, then six, then four. Today, they last only three weeks. Yet Emma cannot receive them more frequently because it would not be safe. Her healthcare team does not know what to do next, which is why more treatment options are urgently needed.
Canada has one of the highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world, and new diagnoses are rising most rapidly among children under six. A gift today will help fund research across the country, including pediatric research aimed at addressing this alarming increase.
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