For Victoria Royals hockey player Cohen Massey, pushing through the pain of Crohn’s disease once felt like part of the game. It was how he stayed on the ice, protected his opportunities, and kept life feeling normal, even when something inside his body was not.
Cohen’s journey with Crohn’s began at a young age. At 13, he started experiencing ongoing stomach issues that were confusing and difficult to explain. At the time, neither Cohen nor his family fully understood what his symptoms meant or how serious they could become.
Like many young athletes, he focused on staying active and continuing to play the sport he loved.
“As an athlete, you’re taught to push through everything,” Cohen said. “I tried to hide my Crohn’s disease, and that’s part of why I got so sick.”
Cohen spent many days managing pain while still training and competing. He just kept pushing through discomfort he didn’t fully understand. He also worried that slowing down or speaking up might cost him his place on a team.
He committed himself to nutrition, training, and maintaining strength. While those routines supported his performance, they also made it harder to recognize when his disease was becoming active again. His symptoms often presented quietly, allowing flare‑ups to go unnoticed as he continued to push himself physically.
Living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) meant navigating challenges that were largely invisible to others. While teammates focused on practices, games, and road trips, Cohen was managing strict routines, food restrictions, and the uncertainty of symptoms that could appear without warning.
“People don’t see the planning, the stress, or always knowing where the bathroom is,” he said. “That’s just part of living with Crohn’s and colitis.”
While playing in Alberta last year, away from home, Cohen experienced a sudden and severe flare. His condition escalated rapidly, requiring multiple hospital transfers and emergency care. Crohn’s had perforated sections of his bowel and caused a serious systemic infection. Surgeons had to remove more than a foot and a half of his small intestine.
“Waking up after surgery was terrifying,” Cohen said. “I didn’t know what my future or my hockey career would look like.”
For Cohen, the fear went beyond health. Hockey was a core part of his identity. The possibility of losing it forced him to confront everything he had been avoiding.
With time, recovery, and support, Cohen says that experience gave him a new perspective.
“I’m grateful I was given more time to play, to live, and to figure things out,” he said.
Returning home to Vancouver marked a turning point. Cohen committed himself to recovery and ongoing treatment. He managed his disease through regular medical care. With the support of his family, billets, trainers, and teammates, he focused on regaining strength and finding his way back to the sport that’s always been central to his life.
“The most surprising thing was realizing that no one looked at me differently once I spoke up,” he said. “My team showed up for me.”
Gone were the days he stressed about having to plan for his disease, hiding it, and never slipping up.
When Cohen later joined the Victoria Royals, he found so much support. Motivated by how vital community support was for him, he worked with the team to organize a fundraiser during a hockey game. More than 4,000 fans attended the game. Many of them learned about Crohn’s and colitis for the first time. Together, the community raised nearly $7,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.
“Seeing that many people show up was surreal,” Cohen said. “It showed me how strong this community really is.”
The experience reinforced something Cohen had only begun to believe after his illness: that speaking up did not change how people saw him. It strengthened the support around him.
Today, Cohen uses his experience to support others affected by Crohn’s and colitis, especially young men and athletes who may feel pressure to stay silent about their health.
“It seems scary to open up, but it’s not,” he said. “Once you realize you’re not alone, it gets easier. It will free you.”
By sharing his story, Cohen hopes to remind others that understanding symptoms, speaking up sooner, and asking for help can be lifechanging. Both on and off the ice.
Want to support Cohen? Donate to his fundraiser.
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