Inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic illnesses causing inflammation of the digestive system. The IBD Experience Journal is a collection of stories, pictures, and personal experiences from families about what it has been like to contend with pediatric IBD. It represents the "collective wisdom" of these families as well as their health care providers. A group of parents and health care providers has reviewed all of these contributions for appropriateness.

The IBD Experience Journal was created by Children's Hospital Boston. We welcome family members to enter and explore the IBD Experience Journal. The journal has the following chapters:

	Family Contributions:
	• Coping   • Dealing with the School   • Early Stages   • Family   • Food and Diet	• Procedures   • Taking the Medications   • Telling Friends   • Words of Wisdom
	Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Contributions:
	• Advice for Other Kids & Parents    • Coping    • Early Stages    • Family    • Food and Diet	• Medications    • Procedures    • School    • Staying in the Hospital    • Telling Friends
	Family Videos:
	• A Family Interview    • Interview with a College Student    • Interview with Kate Donovan, RN
	Clinician Contributions:
	• Advice    • Coping    • Dealing with the School    • Food and Diet    • Frequently Asked Family Questions	• Procedures    • Taking the Medications    • Links    • Interview with Dr. Eva Szigethy

A note about color-coding: We have chosen to group stories about Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis together, to create a website focusing the general experience of living with IBD. However, we have color-coded the stories, so that if you are interested in reading narratives related to a particular diagnosis you are able to do so easily. Crohn’s stories appear in orange , and ulcerative colitis stories in green . This color code is displayed at the bottom of each chapter for your reference. [ Crohn’s Disease     Ulcerative Colitis ]

We know that there may be some emotional discomfort associated with reading the stories of children and parents describing their experience dealing with IBD. Nonetheless, we hope that families learn from the stories of others facing similar experiences. The goal of the IBD Experience Journal is to facilitate the strength and resiliency that lies in every child and family facing adversity.

Acknowledgments