Marathon to help fight Crohn's and Colitis

Pam Barclay of Oxford, 26, who has ulcerative colitis and has had many of her internal organs removed, will be competing in The ING Half-Marathon, scheduled for January 27 in Miami.



OXFORD
Marathon to help fight Crohn’s and colitis
By ASHLEY WOODS Special to The Oakland Press


Anyone running their first half-marathon would have a reason to be nervous.
Pam Barclay of Oxford, 26, who has ulcerative colitis and has had many of her internal organs removed, said she is nervous, but remains positive about competing in The ING Half-Marathon, scheduled for January 27 in Miami.
“I’m excited to do my best,” Barclay said. “It’s just about participating — it’s not about finishing.”
Barclay will run 13.1 miles as the “Honored Teammate” for the Michigan chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America team. The “Team Challenge” program brings together people with Crohn’s and colitis diseases to raise funds and awareness for the two forms of inflammatory bowel disease.
Barclay was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis disease when she was about 13 years old.
“The similarities between both diseases, the vagueness, really make Crohn’s and colitis difficult to treat,” she said.
Symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea mixed with blood, and cramping. She grew ulcers in her large intestine, which began eating through her other organs. At age 14, she underwent surgery to remove her large intestine and rectum, as well as parts of her pancreas, liver, and small intestine that were damaged by the colitis.
“It was horrible,” Barclay said of her years in high school after the surgery. “I had an ostomy bag, and my hair fell out from the steroids. I was 14 years old, I weighed 68 pounds, and I wasn’t even 4 feet tall.”
By joining “Team Challenge,” Barclay and her teammates agreed to participate in weekly training sessions with medical professionals and long-distance runners for coaches. “I still have problems with my kidneys, so I’m nervous about that,” she said. “I also have arthritis in my joints.”
Brad Kegebein, 25, is one of three coaches for the 20-person running team.
“We’re up to 60-minute runs on Sundays now,” he said, “as well as running four miles every Tuesday and Thursday.”
He said the training, which includes tips on technique, stretching and even proper footwear, is designed for the varying levels of ability within the group.
“I would say Pam is in the highest level of runners on the team,” he said. “Some of the other girls are still sick, which affects them.”
“I needed to become more of an advocate for ulcerative colitis,” said Barclay, who joined CCFA after her younger brother was also diagnosed with the disease two years ago. “It’s an embarrassing disease, and that’s why no one talks about it. Okay, so we have problems going to the bathroom.”
To fit in at school, Barclay said she pretended she wasn’t ill. “It’s not commonly known. People understand cancer and heart disease. They don’t understand ostomy bags.”
Barclay, along with the other “Team Challenge” participants, pledged to raise $3,500 in donations for the trip. So far, she’s raised less than $500.
“The worst case scenario is, I put it on my credit card,” she said. Donations are accepted through the team’s fund-raising page at http://www.active. com/donate/MI08MICH.
Nervous or not, Barclay said she’s excited to run her first half-marathon. “If you had asked me at age 14 if I would ever run a (half-marathon), I’d say no way!” she laughed. She said she’s also anxious to improve awareness of these diseases.
“In reality, Crohn’s and colitis are out there,” she said. “Over a million people are suffering. It’s time we stop living in silence, and start living out loud.”