It’s one thing to endure the pain of a lifetime of untreated ulcerative colitis. It’s another thing when your child witnesses it, in real time.
Patti Tonks heard her daughter’s plea 20 years ago, but it still resonates today.
“She told me, ‘Mom, I don’t ever want to get whatever you have.’ I told her, ‘Oh no, don’t worry, it won’t happen to you.’”
When her daughter was diagnosed with colitis at age 19, in 2010, and began treatment at St. Paul’s Hospital, Patti’s life finally turned around.
“When I saw what the specialists were doing for her, I realized I needed to go.”
For 42 years, Patti had suffered from severe digestive abdominal pain that caused diarrhea, vomiting, and joint pain.
“It was awful,” she recalls. “You can’t commit to doing things with your family. Any travel was unimaginable.”
At St. Paul’s Hospital, under the care of Dr. Brian Bressler, she learned she suffered from a form of colitis that had taken root high up in the intestines. Aggressive treatment helped bring her colitis into remission.
“I could leave the house and not worry. Life became better,” she says.
Sadly, decades of bowel inflammation had led to a stage 2 colon cancer diagnosis. Dr. Manoj Raval, an expert in colorectal surgery, was able to see Patti within weeks of her diagnosis, and he performed a resection.
Today Patti is feeling confident in her care with a close-knit team, which includes Dr. Raval, Dr. Bressler, a nurse navigator, and an oncologist.
“They let the patient be part of their team,” she says. “They listened to me.”
Successful treatment of IBD requires a multidisciplinary approach. The new Digestive Health Centre (DHC) will harness the expertise and enthusiasm of BC’s most accomplished gastroenterologists and colorectal surgeons, bringing care providers under one roof to meet the unique needs of patients.
Patti says she looks forward to the new DHC, designed to encourage collaboration.
“I’m just thankful for the path I’m on now. Knowing that the Digestive Health Centre will be there for my daughter and myself, makes it a lot easier to deal with our digestive health issues.”
Together, we can revolutionize digestive health care in BC and bring hope to more patients like Patti and her family.