GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The community will come together for the seventh annual Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Harvest and Hops fundraiser.
It is a dinner and silent auction all in support to one day find a cure for Crohn’s and Colitis. Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis affects millions of people across the U.S. and damages a person’s digestive system leading to many debilitating symptoms.
Some members of the Miller family, especially Tobey, who is beating Crohn’s disease every single day and showing all of us how being positive can help you get through so much.
"If you have Crohn's you can definitely get through it you can do it," said Tobey Miller.
A can-do attitude that’s helped Tobey Miller through every step of his Crohn’s journey. This diagnosis that is very scary and sometimes shocking for a family to comprehend especially a child’s parents.
"We have plans and expectations for how life is going to go and how your kids are going to do and its kind of a sharp right hand turn all of a sudden that your not expecting," said Steven Miller, Tobey's father.
The unexpected sickness that now patients live with for the rest of their life. There is no cure for Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis as doctors continue to help patients get into remission with numerous different medications.
Over the years, Tobey has become an advocate and mentor for other kids going through the same thing. The foundation recognized him as the pediatric honored hero a few years back.
"It feels good to be able to help out I mean I've talked to a lot of fellow people with Crohn’s and tried to them through it maybe they are just getting diagnosed and they need a little reminder that its going to be okay," said Tobey Miller.
Tobey’s parents say he is now just trying to be a normal kid and is not letting this disease stop him. Tobey wants to become a pediatric nurse after dealing with all the cool nurses that helped him!
