Katherine Downing Takes Steps In The Journey To Find Cures For Digestive Diseases

WILMINGTON, NC, October 05, 2012 (Press-News.org) Katherine Downing was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease the spring of her 8th grade year. Now, the college freshman is walking with family and friends to raise funds and awareness for this dibilating digestive disease. The Wilmington Take Steps for Crohn's and Colitis Walk will take place at the Wrightsville Beach Loop, Saturday, October 13, at 3 pm.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Take Steps is the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's national Walk program. Thousands of people will gather this spring and summer, at 158 Walk sites across the country, to join the fight against Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Take Steps has raised more than $30 million for research and patient support services Join the effort by registering today at http://www.cctakesteps.org/wilmington and take a step toward a future free from Crohn's and colitis!

"Katherine is a great inspiration to the Crohn's & colitis community," said Crohn's and Colitis Foundation spokesperson, Nicole Pielech, "Surprisingly, these diseases are not very well known, yet they take a tremendous toll on people's lives."

Known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere along the digestive track, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, weight loss and fatigue. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. One in 200 people suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

Early in the diagnosis, Katherine realized that Crohn's Disease would always have to be a part of her life, but it was not going to define her or slow her down. Katherine has participated the last 2 years in the CCFA Wilmington Take Steps Walk and is thrilled to be the Honored Hero this year. Because CCFA is such a vital part of funding the research for finding a cure, Katherine knows the importance of raising funds for CCFA and also community awareness

About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is the largest voluntary non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). CCFA's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who suffer from these diseases. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research, providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public, and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more information, http://www.ccfa.org, call 888-694-8872, http://www.facebook.com/ccfafb and http://www.facebook.com/ccfatakesteps, or follow CCFA and Take Steps on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ccfa and http://www.twitter.com/takesteps.