Get Your Belly Out!

When Bethany Townsend shared her story on the Crohn's and Colitis UK Facebook page, along with some holiday photos, I'm sure she didn't expect this response. The photos have been seen by more than 12 million people worldwide and her story has been picked up by news outlets everywhere. She shared her story in response to the brilliant Get Your Belly Out. 

Sahara, Victoria, Gem and Lorna launched the #GetYourBellyOut Facebook and Twitter campaign in March to raise awareness of IBD (that's Inflammatory Bowel Disease, if you didn't know) and have raised over £8500 for Crohn's and Colitis UK in the process. Their aim was simple, but #GetYourBellyOut has become so much more that. Through their Twitter account and Facebook page, they are supporting IBD sufferers across the world and inspiring them to feel confident about their body in the face of an illness that so often saps all self-esteem. They're raising awareness about IBD through social media and encouraging others to share their stories to further the cause. From such humble beginnings to worldwide recognition in just four months is something rather special!

Anything that helps unite the IBD community is awesome in my book (see also Crohn's Zone) and I was delighted to see how many people shared their own belly pictures in time for World IBD Day on 19th May. The four girls behind Get Your Belly Out are an inspiration.

Before The Get Your Belly Out girls started their campaign, there was a limited number of people willing to share their stomachs with the world. A quick scroll through the photos shared with Crohn's and Colitis UK shows that pre-March 2014, only a few brave souls were willing to bare their scars, ostomies and bags. Now, both CCUK and Get Your Belly Out can hardly keep up with the volume of photos! Bethany was one of those people who shared.

The Daily Mail's headline yesterday suggested that "score of Crohn's sufferers ... post(ed) bikini selfies inspired by" Bethany. This is not the case. In fact, the photos of other people used in this article (in some cases, without permission) came from the CCUK and Get Your Belly Out Facebook pages and some were shared well before Bethany Townsend shared hers. It's also worth noting that some of those sharing have Ulcerative Colitis, not Crohn's.

If I'm completely honest, I'm a little saddened (but not surprised) that in spite of thousands of IBD sufferers sharing their photos and stories, the media didn't pick up the story until an aspiring model shared hers. Don't get me wrong, the publicity is brilliant (when it's factually correct) and if it raises awareness of IBD, great! It's just that Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis wreak havoc on your body and your confidence, and I'm not sure that promoting only those people with model-good-looks in the press is helpful. People with IBD come in all shapes and sizes, like the rest of the population, and it's just as brave and equally inspirational when they share their photos with the world. Extreme weight loss during a flare or puffy Prednisolone moon-face can make it a challenge to simply get in front of a camera and allow your image to be captured - that's why I prefer to stay behind the lens.

In honour of #WorldIBDday I'm sharing #GetYourBellyOut to raise awareness of Crohn's and Colitis, will you join me? pic.twitter.com/xnVzc4vD1o
— Caleigh (@GlutenFreek) May 19, 2014

I did share my own belly photo for World IBD Day. Ok, I was wearing my Muppets pyjamas and not a bikini, the perspective is off and you can't even see my face, but even so, it was one of the hardest photographs to take and share. As I clicked the 'Tweet' button, my palms were sweating and I wanted to delete it as soon as it appeared on my timeline. I needn't have worried, though. The response was wonderful; people were supportive and encouraging and I realised that I'd been worried about nothing. Actually, now I'll show my scars or my bag to anyone who asks. I'm not ashamed of my ileostomy and I know that the more I talk about it, the more normal it becomes. The reactions aren't always positive and I do get the odd hurtful comment, but some people will always fear what's different.

Is Bethany Townsend brave, beautiful and inspirational? Yes! And so are all the others who make the effort to raise awareness about Crohn's and Colitis.

To join in the campaign and help raise awareness of IBD, all you have to do is upload a picture of your belly to your chosen social media accounts using the hashtag #GetYourBellyOut. If you're sharing on Facebook, remember to change that post's visibility to 'Public" so Get Your Belly Out Can find you! If you'd like to make a donation when you share your belly picture, text IBDA99 and your donation amount (e.g. - IBDA99 £3) to 70070 (UK mobiles only) or go to the JustGiving page. All donations go to Crohn's and Colitis UK.

Crohn's and Colitis UK - Me and IBD

At 31, I might fall a couple of years short of being young enough to get involved with Me and IBD, Crohn's and Colitis UK's support group for people aged 16 - 29, but that doesn't stop me from telling people about it. They offer encouragement through a discussion forum, information sheets and even have information service phone-line to call.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 13 years old, so I know what it's like to live with IBD throughout secondary school and university. I didn't know anything about Crohn's Disease and I dealt with it be burying my head in the sand, I was operating under a 'what I don't know can't hurt me' theory. It didn't work, when I was 20, I developed abscesses and fistula that I had no idea were due to Crohn's so I ignored it until I was hospitalised. After that I realised I have to know exactly what I was dealing with so I would know the side effects were and if I could do anything to help myself. 

It's never very easy to tell fellow adolescents, "yeah, I have chronic diarrhoea," without the fear that they'll mock you. It's tough enough as an adult to explain to others that your condition means you have bowels with a death-wish ('toilet issues' are a sensitive subject with most people). I was skinny, except for a giant steroid moon-face and combination of the disease and the treatment stunted my growth. I was bullied and excluded by my friends because I looked too young and my prescence in the group was deemed embarrassing. It's something that damaged my emerging sense of self to the point that I had little confidence in myself as a person and still haven't found any self esteem about my appearance.

Me and IBD are there to support young people through all of the rough times by putting them in contact with others going through exactly the same issues. They have made a series of videos with some of the Crohn's and Colitis UK Ambassadors who share their experiences of living with IBD when they were young. I was particularly moved by the videos with Della Thielamay (above) and Rick Parfitt Jr, who at times could be talking about my life, their experiences are so similar to mine.

If you, or a family member, are 16 - 29 years old and living with IBD, you can be part of the Me and IBD video campaign. Just watch this short video and make your own to submit to Crohn's and Colitis UK. Or head over to the Crohn's and Colitis UK website and take part in their survey.