Shout-out to the people who... 💜 Struggle with fatigue 💜 Function despite extreme pain 💜 Have invisible symptoms 💜 Hide their illness well 💜 Find it hard to cope but still get out of bed! 💜 Don't 'look sick' 💜 Deal with 'flareups' nobody knows about 💜 Fights a daily battle 💜 Endure things others simply don't understand

📢 YOU DON'T NEED TO BE IN A WHEELCHAIR TO USE THE 'DISABLED' / ACCESSIBLE TOILET! Did you know that 96% of chronic illnesses are invisible! 🕵️ Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Microscopic Colitis & IBD can mean people need quick and easy access to public facilities due to urgency. Often, waiting in long queues or sharing public facilities can be anxiety producing when you have an upset tummy, whilst others with an ostomy may need access to a nearby sink to help change their bag, so a 'disabled'/accessible toilet can feel like a safer space and is a great option for people with IBD because it meets their needs better. Sadly, people with IBD are routinely challenged when using them because they 'don't look sick'. Over one billion people, 16% of the world's population, experience significant disability - 75% of those do not use a wheelchair or any other physical or visible aid 🕵️ These valuable spaces are often a last thought for most people or are often used as a 'stockroom' to store extra cleaning equipment or discarded furniture 🙄 🙏🏻 If you own a premises that has access to 'disabled' / accessible toilets... Can you please make sure they are at least, err... Accessible?? And if you're a member of the public, we know you mean well by attempting to discourage people who might not need to use these specialised spaces, but do take a moment to consider if the person using this valuable space might have an 'invisible illness' or 'disability' needs that you can not see. 🙏🏻 Thank you 🥰 ✋🏻 Show of hands, how many of us here have been challenged when attempting to use the 'disabled' / accessible toilets...

Forget your age. If you have goals to achieve, you are still young. ~ Yep!

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Remember: People know exactly what they’re doing. End of story.

If you don't take away nothing else... Just have faith!!!

Inflammatory bowel disease is as much of an emotional battle as it is a physical one. It's important that we keep talking about things! 💜