FEATURE FOUNDATION:
THE CROHN’S JOURNEY FOUNDATION
THECROHNSJOURNEYFOUNDATION.ORG
@CROHNSJOURNEY
Sarah Chouirey, founder of The Crohn’s Journey Foundation, shares with Companion her journey to
discovering how helping others has, in fact, helped her.
I’m on a life journey to find health through love, compassion
and education. This journey started before I even knew it
had begun, at the age of 12. My name is Sarah Choueiry,
and I am what I like to call a “Crohnie”. I was diagnosed with
Crohn’s disease, which is an inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD). This term, “Crohn’s disease”, was shared with me at
such a young age that it made it truly hard to comprehend
the struggles that I would be facing for years to come. When
I heard “Crohn’s disease”, I heard nothing. Now when I
hear it, I visualize fear, pain, surgery, hospitals, nausea,
depression, anger, loneliness, fatigue, needles, medication,
fading hope, and much, much more.
This is where The Crohn’s Journey Foundation (TCJF)
comes into play. The idea to form a foundation began in a
hospital bed one year ago in November 2012, when I was
hospitalized for a week with a bowel obstruction. I was
in a hospital bed—a million emotions and drugs running
through me—and all I could think about was the need
to get away. I needed a haven, a place to connect with
others who understood me. I wanted a place that would not
keep pumping me full of pharmaceuticals, but would offer
alternative treatment methods, so I began to search but
found nothing. At that moment, I told my family sitting in
that hospital room that I was determined to create a retreat
for people like me—and I’m happy to say that I’ve realized
that goal less than 1 year later.
The Crohn’s Journey Foundation is my way of sharing my
journey with those who struggle with Crohn’s disease and
ulcerative colitis (another serious form of IBD). It’s a journey
that educates those with IBD to help them find a healing
Me in the hospital bed 1 year ago,
where the foundation began, eating
my grandma’s chicken broth.
56