I was just about to go bed. I had put on my pajamas and was drinking my last sips of water when I checked Facebook for the last time. It’s World IBD Day, so I was just looking for some more updates from people in the community and some of my friends who are sick and have been posting updates. I should have just gone straight to bed like Dr. Samadi told me I needed to start doing at 9pm. But I didn’t. I ignored the burning fire in my back and eye and checked Facebook. And my fellow IBD advocate and now friend, Kelly posted something on The Purple Project page about another advocate, Alex Davidson. Alex is a Crohn’s patient who has been having a very bad few months, well year, but in particular the last few months have been extremely exhausting and painful for Alex. And over the the last couple of days, Alex’s friends and family have informed the world through her foundation’s website facebook page that it didn’t look like Alex would be coming home from the hospital soon. As of yesterday, they feared that sweet Alex wouldn’t be coming home from the hospital again. Alex was dying. Alex was dying from complications from Crohn’s. Alex was at that stage that I was at when the steroids stop working, the anti inflammatory meds stop working, the pain meds stop working and nothing stays in your body. I was fortunate enough to be able to have my last resort work for me, surgery. Alex, was out of options. And as I scrolled through my facebook timeline, I learned from Kelly that Alex had lost her battle with Crohn’s. In an interview Alex expressed that she was so sick, that she didn’t think should would make it to her 21st birthday. Alex died earlier tonight. She was 20 years old.
God Bless you, Alex! And thank you!
