In this episode of the Talking Sh*t podcast, I speak with Leah, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at just nine years old after months of fatigue, weight loss, and bloody diarrhea. What began as a frightening childhood illness quickly became a life shaped by hospital stays, international moves, failed treatments, and major surgeries.

Diagnosed during her early school years and living with an ostomy from her teens, Leah reflects on navigating flares, isolation, and body image through adolescence. She talks candidly about undergoing multiple surgeries, adapting to life with an ostomy, and learning to accept a body that often dictated her limits.

Now living well and working as a certified ostomy nurse, Leah shares how her experience with Crohn’s shaped her empathy, resilience, and career path. Through her work, she supports patients facing the same fears she once lived with, turning a childhood diagnosis into a source of purpose, perspective, and connection.

For more on colitis, IBD and chronic illness, check out colitisunfiltered.com