The Regina Gutsy Walk takes place every year for Crohn's and Colitis Canada, raising money and awareness for the cause. The honorary chair for the Gutsy Walk in 2014 is Andrew Ross. The Yorkton 11-year-old has been a part of the event from when he was two years old.
Ross is excited about being the honorary chair, which will entail giving a speech and being a big part of the day overall. He was given the honor after his family raised over $20,000 for the walk in the past five years.
Crohn's is a Gastrointestinal disease that can occur anywhere along the GI tract. Symptoms vary, but often include abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and lack of energy. People who have Crohn's will experience periods of acute flare-ups, when their symptoms are active, and other times when their symptoms go into remission. The average risk of a flare-up in any one year is approximately 30 per cent. It's a chronic condition which has no known cure at the moment.
Ross has Crohn's himself, being diagnosed when he was just a small child. He says that having the disease means he has to be very careful about what he eats.
"I really have to be careful with my stomach, because if I eat a lot of junk food I will be in the bathroom lots, so I have to eat well."
The walk itself is a fun experience, and the Ross family goes to different locations to do the walk each time. His first walk was in Yorkton back when there was a Gutsy walk in the city, and since then he has been to walks across the prairie provinces.
Ross says he raises money for the cause because he would like to see a cure for the disease, both for himself and all of the other people who have the disease.
"It would be really good if people could finally find a cure for it."
Those who want to learn more about Crohn's and Colitis or support Ross can visit crohnsandcolitis.ca.
