In 2010, while in her 20s and finishing graduate school, Jamie Harris began having digestive trouble after a trip to London. She noticed blood in her stool and came home with ongoing abdominal pain. Her primary care doctor recommended more fiber and psyllium husk, but the discomfort persisted for a year and she began losing weight.
As a student teacher she mentioned her symptoms to an instructor, who urged her to go to the emergency room. Bloodwork there showed a markedly elevated white blood cell count, prompting further evaluation and a referral to a gastroenterologist. The specialist diagnosed Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract.
Gastroenterologist Emanuelle Bellaguarda, MD, explains that Crohn’s can produce shallow or deep ulcers and, if not treated, may cause lasting bowel damage such as scar tissue (strictures) or abnormal connections called fistulas between loops of bowel or from bowel to the skin.
The diagnosis was emotionally heavy for Harris. She describes feeling depressed and shaken — she expected to be in the prime of her life and instead faced a chronic illness. Before the diagnosis, her mother, a registered dietitian, suspected gluten intolerance. Harris kept a food journal, tried restrictive regimens including the BRAT diet, and eventually ate very little because so many foods triggered pain. She lost about 20 pounds.
Bellaguarda notes that while dietary changes can ease symptoms such as diarrhea and bloating, there’s no evidence that diet alone heals the underlying inflammation or stops disease progression. Treatment decisions depend on how the disease presents, other health conditions, and what medicines a patient has already tried. Because there is no cure, care typically follows two steps: induction to control symptoms and promote healing of the bowel, then maintenance with medications that have proven effective. Options include biologic therapies and newer small-molecule drugs such as JAK inhibitors.
Harris initially tried several oral medications that reduced some symptoms but did not fully restore her health. After about two years she started infusion therapy; she now receives infusions every six weeks. Modern infusion options are faster than older treatments, shortening sessions that once took four to six hours and making it easier to maintain daily life. Harris also exercises regularly and follows a simple Mediterranean-style diet designed to avoid her specific trigger foods.
At first she felt isolated, knowing no one else with the disease. She found community through the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and now serves on its board, raising awareness and funds so others won’t feel alone. She has partnered with the pharmaceutical company Lilly to help share accurate information about living with inflammatory bowel disease.
Harris stresses self-advocacy: it took her two years to receive a diagnosis, and she sometimes questioned whether her symptoms were real. Still, she emphasizes that people with Crohn’s can lead full lives. Now a mother, she talks openly with her daughter about having IBD, models healthy eating, and normalizes the condition. While she hopes for a cure, her focus is on living each day positively and showing that a diagnosis does not mean the end of a fulfilling life.