Annual Crohn’s and Colitis walk raises money and hope

The annual Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis walk circled the Ohio University and Zane State Campus Saturday afternoon.

Around 200 people dressed up and participated in the Take Steps costume walk. The organization surpassed its fundraising goal by $6,000 this year. And Take Steps Manager Brianne McFarland said it’s great to see people supporting Take Steps in its goal to find a cure for these diseases.

"It’s very exciting for us because this event is not only about raising money, but it’s also about raising awareness and giving the patients an opportunity to be together and have people understand what they’re going through," said McFarland.

While the walk helped to raise $25,000 for crohn’s and colitis research McFarland said the walk allows people with the diseases to talk to others with the same pain.

"It helps the patients a lot because it’s a silent disease," said McFarland. "These are not diseases that people want to talk about around the dinner table, so this gives them the opportunity to be around people who understand the pain and agony that they go through on a daily basis, and also the amount of medications and surgeries they go through."

McFarland said there are nearly 30,000 people diagnosed with either crohn’s or colitis living in central Ohio and that 1 in every 200 Americans has the disease.