Let’s welcome this weeks warrior, Sophia!
Hi everyone, I’m Sophia, founder of The Princess Promise! I live with my family in South Jersey, USA.
I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), five years ago while I was a junior in college. Throughout that semester, I was juggling my Honors course, working in the Honors office, school in general (like my tap dancing class), and all of the stinky symptoms that came with my flare: weight loss; smelly farts; and frequent, bloody diarrhea. And I shared a suite with four other women. My diagnosis started during Thanksgiving break when I had to get bloodwork and do stool samples, and I was referred to a gastroenterologist (GI) when my pediatrician realized we were likely dealing with an autoimmune disease. When winter break started, I saw the nurse practitioner at the GI’s office and it was decided a colonoscopy was in order. I had a super-violent prep, which started on Christmas night. When I woke up from the colonoscopy, the GI said that I definitely had ulcerative colitis, and I was sent for more bloodwork. At this point in my flare, it felt like I was digesting barbed wire. I was prescribed prednisone and steroid enemas until a maintenance medicine was chosen at my follow up. It was incredibly overwhelming and depressing to be dealing with all of this at 20 years old.
At first, I fought the enemas tooth and nail, feeling like I was too feminine and above them. Once I realized how stupid I was to put my pride above my health, my perspective changed and I did some enemas before going back to school. As I weaned off prednisone, I started Entyvio, and I’ve been blessed to be living in remission since!
I founded The Princess Promise to help eradicate IBD’s stinky stigma and empower the female IBD community with the promise that no matter what we experience, we are still princesses. I want everyone, no matter who they are, to know that our bathroom habits have no bearing on our femininity or worth as a person.
Finding my purpose through The Princess Promise has kept my IBD at the front of my mind in a lot of ways, and my IBD itself affects my daily life mainly when it comes to having infusion appointments, doctor check-ups, and phone calls with insurance companies/doctor billing offices. The truth is that everyone poops (some out their butts, some in a bag), so being so open with my poop problems has made others more comfortable coming to me when they experience poop problems. I absolutely love when that happens because I can put my stinky experience to work to help others!
From the ups and downs of accepting myself and all that entails—my weight, my health, my bathroom habits—I have learned that I need to allow myself to grieve, every battle is valid, and keeping open communication with your medical care team is key. I’m BFFs with my infusion nurse Donna, and I am so blessed by our best friendship! And I am super comfortable with the GI I have now, too. I highly recommend keeping in mind that GIs have seen, heard, and smelled everything, and openness and honesty can really help you not just survive but also thrive with IBD!
My 16 1/4-year-old Pomeranian, Stinky, lived her life completely embracing her name (which she received years before my diagnosis!). She was not ashamed of being Stinky at all, and I strive to embody her spirit. I hope the same for you 
I love volunteering for my church (I’m a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church), hanging out with my family, and ballroom dancing! IBD may change the way you approach your favorite things and life in general, but staying flexible and creative can help you live a life you love (even if it looks different than you imagined it would!)!
You can follow @ThePrincessPromise on Facebook and Instagram.
: @GlennYearyPhotography#ThePrincessPromise
Thank you so much for sharing your story Sophia!