A brave teenager has revealed the reality of living with Crohn’s disease in a heart-wrenching Facebook post.
Aimee Rouski, 19, from Liverpool, shared pictures of herself showing her ileostomy bag and scars on her legs left behind from multiple surgeries.
I've wanted to do this for a while because I always see body posi posts for weight, but not many for disabilities /…
Posted by Aimee Rouski on Wednesday, 25 May 2016
In the Facebook post, she was hoping to raise awareness about Crohn’s disease, a chronic condition that causes the inflammation of the intestines.
Aimee was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was 11-years-old, suffering with constant stomach cramps, loss of appetite, severe weight loss and anal fissures, the Daily Mail reports.
When she was just 15, she was admitted to hospital for seven months to go through three major surgeries. She had to have her large intestine and colon removed, and muscles taken from her inner thighs to cover her external wounds.
In the post, Aimee added that she had accepted that she would always have to have an ileostomy bag, but wanted to speak out to help others suffering with Crohn’s disease.
She said:
I’ve always been okay with the stuff that has happened to me, but some people have real difficulties accepting these things so I just want to say this. No one will know unless you tell them. People who know will still love you and still find you beautiful. Your illness is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.
Aimee’s post received a mainly positive response from Facebook users, with over 13,000 likes and almost 5,000 people sharing her story.
She really is a true inspiration to us all.
