Crohn's Disease | Characters

Molly Weinberg

After a month of testing and hospitalization, Molly was diagnosed with severe colitis at the young age of nine. Over her early teenage years she endured frequent flare-ups and felt self-conscious about missing school events and explaining her disease to peers. Despite physical strain and the emotional difficulty of having colitis during her early teenage years, Molly still continued to pursue drama, music, and other activities she excelled in. In True Guts, Molly candidly explains the difficult choices she made as a young teenager with colitis and how anyone can learn to face his/her own challenges and grow from them.

“Colitis can be quite a roller coaster ride, but if you stay involved in your passions, gain support from your friends and family, listen closely to your doctors, and stay true to yourself, you will succeed in whatever challenges you may be faced with.”

Josh Golder

93 lbs at 5'9". That was the weight and height ofJosh Golder midway through
his 8th grade year. It had all started during the beginning of that
year with weight loss, stomach pain, and the need to leave every class
every day during school to use the bathroom. Depressed, unaware, and
angry over many doctors' inabilities to diagnosis and cure his
ailments, Josh was finally diagnosed with Crohn's disease in June of
1995, a full 8 months after he started experiencing drastic symptoms.
Throughout high school Josh was depressed and had very low self esteem
due to active Crohn's disease and the visual affects of high doses of
Prednisone. For all who have seen his struggles with Crohn's and
triumph through his own hard work say that his journey is unlike any
other they have ever seen. Josh makes it clear that success is a
choice.

“Reality is subjective. There are no limits to what a motivated individual can achieve”

back to top

Tyler Low

Initially, Tyler refused to believe that anything was actually wrong. Eventually, the blood loss and fatigue convinced him that maybe he had something serious that needed a doctor’s evaluation. Despite three years of struggle with ulcerative colitis, Tyler is now more confident than ever and says “it makes you realize that you can do anything you want.” He cites his friends, family, and his love of hockey as being motivators to overcome colitis, rather than allowing colitis to overcome his ability to play sports and to enjoy life.

“The most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats." - BC Forbes

back to top

Taylor Barton

Destined to emerge from Beaverton, Oregon as a future-NFL star, five colitis surgeries ended his hopes of playing pro-football. Despite repeated sickness and debilitating symptoms, Taylor refused to let his teammates down and quarterbacked the Division 1 Washington Huskies until he graduated in 2003. After graduating, Taylor became a football coach while being a mentor to individuals with Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.

back to top