Emily Morgan has a passion for swimming and is unflappably positive. she also has ulcerative colitis, a condition many people don’t know about and many others don’t want to talk about.

Not only is Emily not afraid to talk about her disease, but she hasn’t let it slow her down.

An avid swimmer, her room has a desk plastered with ribbons and covered in gold trophies.  

“She’s real open about it and willing to talk,” said Jody Morgan, Emily’s mom. “her motto was she wasn’t going to let it beat her.”

“if anything, I’ve tried to turn it into a positive experience,” Emily said.

2011 HONORED HERO

This year she is being honored by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America at its Take Steps walk.

“a bright, vivacious teenager, Emily embodies great strength and courage,” said Monica Wissbaum, publicity chairwoman for the Charlotte Chapter of the CCFA Take Steps Walk. “rather than let her illness define her, Emily has embraced it, and now wants to educate and empower others who face the same diagnosis she did.”

Wissbaum said Emily was recommended as the 2011 honored hero by the Levine Children’s specialty center.

“she was chosen because of her involvement with the CCFA and because she’s an amazing young lady with an amazing story and a positive outlook,” Wissbaum said.

‘WE DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT’

In 2008, Emily said she started having different symptoms, which included severe stomach aches.

Her doctor referred her to a Charlotte specialist and after going through several tests, she was told she had something called ulcerative colitis.

“We didn’t know anything about it,” Emily said.

She immediately started taking medications, but after a month or two, she said it was as if her body became immune to them and they would stop working.

She had to deal with constant flare-ups, which would cause stomachaches and constant trips to the bathroom.

Emily said the seriousness of her illness didn’t really hit her until she was hospitalized in the ninth grade due to dehydration and anemia.

She said she was admitted to the Levine’s Children’s Hospital right before her 16th birthday.

At the thought of spending her birthday in the hospital, Morgan said she had a moment of self-pity.

“why me?” she said. “I never did anything wrong to deserve this.”

It began to impact the things she loved.

“It got to the point she was having a hard time swimming,” said Jody Morgan.

She didn’t feel like hanging out with friends.

“It was affecting my everyday life,” Emily said.

After a flare-up, she would be given a higher dose of steroids. Emily said the drugs caused side effects, including weight gain.

SURGERY

Eventually, when medications were exhausted, a trip to Chapel Hill for a second opinion brought up the option of surgery.

The two-phase surgery would include several weeks with a colostomy bag before the second phase, when it would be removed and a new section of small intestine is reattached in place of her colon.

Emily decided to go for it.

The first surgery took place during summer break. she doesn’t remember much about her hospital stay other than the pain.

“That was the longest summer ever,” she said.

Emily said she rested, took an online class and recovered from surgery.

The second phase took place in August and was much easier.

“I got back into swimming a month later,” she said.

100 PERCENT

Although she’s still anemic, Emily doesn’t have to take medications other than vitamins.

“It’s the best decision I ever made,” she said. “a year ago, I didn’t know what it was to feel 100 percent. I never knew you could feel that good.”

Emily said now she is focused on raising support for the upcoming walk and has already raised more than $2,000.

“even though my disease is under control, that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help others in their fight against inflammatory bowel disease,” she said. “I’m walking because I want to raise awareness and encourage teens like me to never give up.”

Jody Morgan said the community support has been fantastic.

As for the future, Emily said she is interested in a career in pediatric gastroenterology.

Although she has had her moments of self-pity, overall she has accepted her diagnosis and has made the best of it.

“”I think it’s made my family closer,” Emily said. “We’ll talk about anything now.”

Reach reporter Rebecca Clark at 704-669-3344.

What is ulcerative colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum.

The cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown. People with this condition have problems with the immune system, but it is not clear whether immune problems cause this illness.

According to PubMed Health

More about Emily Morgan

- On a year-round swim team

-  Junior class vice president

-  Participates in National Honors Society, Beta Club, Spanish Club and Interact Club

Swimming achievements

- One of the top three 10-year-old and under swimmers in the 100 individual medley in the state

- Conference, regional and state qualifying swimmer all three years of high school

- Won conference events both freshman and sophomore year

- Placed second her junior year, seventh in the state freshman year, top 10 her sophomore year

- this year, her relay team pulled a close sixth

About the walk

This year’s walk will be held in Charlotte at Freedom Park on Sunday, May 15.  Registration to walk begins at 4 p.m., with the actual walk starting at 5 p.m. There will be food, music, a kids’ zone and more.

Nearly 1.4 million people live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. More than 150,000 of those diagnosed are children.

According to the Charlotte Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America