Carrie Johnson is the quintessential California girl. Athletic and a surfer, it’s no surprise that white water kayaking came naturally. Johnson, 24, a world-class paddler, stepped out onto the Olympic stage in 2004. But she almost didn’t realize her Olympic dreams. Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, just 30 days before the 2004 games, Johnson had to fight her way through a condition that complicated her training.

She first noticed something was wrong when she had trouble keeping food down and her energy up. Crohn’s typically strikes between ages 15 and 35. There’s a strong family predisposition for Crohn’s but not in Carrie’s case. Now, she's fired up to continue her efforts as an Olympic contender and her advocacy for people living with Crohn’s through her work with CrohnsAndMe.com.

People should know they’re not alone and the disease is not something anyone should be embarrassed about or afraid to talk about.

How did you get to a Crohn’s diagnosis?
I knew there was something wrong and so did my doctors, but they couldn’t put the symptoms together. It was hard to get a diagnosis. As I went from specialist to specialist I was finally referred to a gastroenterologist, who diagnosed Crohn’s.

Are there days when Crohn’s keeps you from training at your best?
We have a very intense training schedule. We race more than 500 meters so we’re doing something in between a sprint and an endurance sport. I work with my coach to occasionally alter my training due to a flare-up. But living with Crohn’s is something that has become a part of what I do. For example, I can’t always do a running workout because it may not be comfortable or I may have to use the restroom half-way through so I’ll bike instead. When I can’t do the physical work, I always find something I can do toward training or improving, even if it’s just paddling and working on technique or doing visualizations.

How have you incorporated Crohn’s into your everyday life?
I’m able to tell sooner if I’m starting to experience the symptoms of a flare-up. I can call my healthcare provider and get on top of it more quickly. Mentally, it’s something I’ve made part of my daily routine: I take my meds, watch what I eat and I’m always aware of where the bathrooms are.

How does stress affect you?
It’s a common misconception that stress can cause Crohn’s; actually stress only exacerbates it. I find I really have to focus the energy that I have each day into being productive about what I want to accomplish. That’s always harder to do the first couple of days after a flare-up, but it’s getting easier.

What’s your best advice to someone newly diagnosed with Crohn’s?
Initially the diagnosis was very scary for me—the realization that I would be dealing with this for the rest of my life, and also the possibility of surgery at some point. And you hear about the worst-case scenarios. But you can’t worry about what might happen. I work closely with my healthcare provider, which is very important to anyone with Crohn’s.

About the Author: Carolyn Davis Cockey, MLS, is editor of Health4Women.org and Healthy Mom & Baby magazine. She writes the Woman 2 Woman column for Health4Women.org and serves as the director of publications for AWHONN in Washington, DC. She lives in Sarasota, FL.