KATE: The early signs of my IBD started probably when I was in high school, I would say. And I started to experience diarrhea- I had quite a weight loss. And cramps- lots of cramping. And basically it was brought to the pediatrician, and the pediatrician referred me to another physician, and the other physician pretty much told my parents that it was in my head, at that time. Now this was many years ago. So that was a challenge- when someone tells a child that it's in their head- for myself I took that completely literally and just decided that everyone must have felt like this and just went on. And when I was 21 I was diagnosed in an emergency room. So that's how it happened for me. So it's basically the diarrhea, the cramps, the weight loss. anemic, so I was very weak and tired a lot- I couldn't keep up with what my friends were doing. That was a challenge.