Support, Understanding and Hope

The Story of... Ashley, age 17

Hobbies: Fishing and hanging out with her boyfriend

Hi, my name is Ashley and for the passed 4 years I've had IBS, it's pretty much taken over my life! I mean, from going on "normal" vacations all the way to last year when I was basically forced to quit school because of it! It's really been a HUGE struggle every morning for the past 4 years! And for a long time NOBODY even believed me that I was feeling this way. My mom didn't even believe me and she has IBS! My boy friend thought I was basically "PLAYING HOOKY" so I wouldn't have to go to school! He soon learned that I WASN'T joking!

This year I am getting to graduate if I get to all of my classes and pass, but that's still hard to do. I've actually just got fired because I had to take off work 3 or 4 times and I had only worked there for a month! For a long time now I've thought that I was the only teenager who was stuck with this horrible thing, but now I know that's not true anymore and in a way it actually makes me feel better!

Ashley