Greyson

"I was in constant pain; I couldn’t focus."

By Students of NYC

June 7^th, 2024

"In 6th grade, it was hard for me to understand anything in school because I was in constant pain; I couldn’t focus. It felt like a sharp dagger, all along my small intestine. I had just gotten through COVID-19 and came back to in-person school — then to deal with this? It was a lot. I went to a lot of doctors, had a bunch of tests. Eventually, we found out that I had tons of ulcers — painful holes in my stomach. The doctors diagnosed me with Crohn's disease. Basically, my stomach, it attacks itself. When I was diagnosed, they gave me medicine, and part of me felt relieved, like maybe I won't be in so much pain anymore. But I also thought: I don't want to be different from everyone. I don't want this to affect me, or change how people see me.

What I’d tell other kids my age diagnosed with Crohn’s disease is that you need to keep pushing. You're going to be in pain, but you're going to get through it. You're going to have days where it's going to be really painful. But there will be days where you’ll have fun and be able to enjoy life. Look at me. I started a basketball team here. There were a bunch of us who really wanted a team; and as a student council member, I knew it was my job to make it happen. I spoke to the principal, and after a lot of nudging and talking, I was able to get a teacher to coach us. We got to have jerseys, lots of team meetings. We played in a bunch of games and even in a tournament. Sometimes, it hurts when I’m playing, but I just push through. Being on a team, it changes you. I can work and communicate differently with my classmates now that we have played together. And in general, when things are hard, playing sports distracts you from feeling all those feelings.

I joined student council because I never want someone else to feel alone or like they are by themselves. I spent a lot of time feeling alone, between my disease and going through the pandemic. I never want someone else to feel that way. You should always have someone there to lift up your voice. I want to show people that if they need anyone, they have someone to trust and to talk to. If they have an issue, I want to be that person that is able to bring their voice to the powers that be."