KRISTEN'S STORY: The Real Untold Truth About Crohn's

By Judy MacHale

Crohn's disease is a condition that causes the lining of the gastrointestinal tract to become inflamed and causes diarrhea. It became regarded as a medical condition in 1932 when Dr. Crohn and two colleagues presented an article on the condition of terminal ileitis to the American Medical Association. However, there were numerous other reports by doctors in other countries going back as far as 1898.

Kristen had her first symptoms at the age of six. She wasn't diagnosed until the age of nineteen. As you read her story, you will find that Crohn's is not just about diarrhea.

Kristen was a loving daughter, wife, and mother. She loved Jesus, and we know that she would want her story shared.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9798889439684

Book preview

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KRISTEN'S STORY

The Real Untold Truth About Crohn's

Judy MacHale

ISBN 979-8-88943-967-7 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88943-968-4 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Judy MacHale and Douglas Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Welcome to Her Story

Chapter 2

More Moves

Chapter 3

We Finally Stopped Moving

Chapter 4

The Abolishment of Smoking at Work and Public Places

Chapter 5

Kristen's Love of Friends, Family, and Neighbors

Chapter 6

The Health Stories

Chapter 7

Crohn's Diagnosis

Chapter 8

Kristen and Doug

Chapter 9

Other Family History Related to Her Medication Treatment

Chapter 10

More about Her Medical Treatment

Chapter 11

Cedars-Sinai, the Best Hospital in the World for Crohn's/Colitis—Supposedly

Chapter 12

We All Moved to Pismo Beach Area

Chapter 13

Medical Insurance

Chapter 14

Superior Vena Cava Syndrome

Chapter 15

Crohn's Disease—Not Just Diarrhea

Chapter 16

Kristen's Journals

Chapter 17

Possible Causes of Many Other Symptoms

Chapter 18

Her Last Days

Chapter 19

Wake Up the Medical System!

Chapter 20

Kristen's Love for Family and Friends

Chapter 21

Forever Missed

Chapter 22

COVID-19 and Crime

About the Author

Chapter 1

Welcome to Her Story

Her husband, Doug—getting to know her

Do you find it interesting how we all go down different walks of life? Is it really, though? Take our hair color, our eye color, our skin to the way we sound when we talk. How many times have you talked to someone over the phone, and then you meet them for the very first time in person, and you think or maybe even say, Wow, you are not how I expected you to look based on how you sound!?

This story is about an amazing woman that didn't look like she sounded. This is a story about a woman born to two loving parents, into an above-average lifestyle of American living in Orange County, California. Her name, Kristen Danielle MacHale Jones.

This story will take you through a journey of emotions and triumphs that can only be described from the eyes watching her every day and by the notes in her journals. This story is set to encourage you to bring joy and give you strength through any situation. It is a story to make you thankful for the amazing journey of your own walk in life.

Kristen's parents

Rod and I were married on New Year's Eve, 1976. I had two children—Laurel was eleven and Steve nine. Rod had an adopted son, Mark, who was eight. Growing up, my parents moved nonstop. There were times when I went to three different schools in a single school year. When Rod proposed, he said that when we marry, I would not have to keep moving. So, even though we each had a house, we stopped on our way back from our honeymoon and bought a house in Yorba Linda, Orange County, California.

The house was on a dirt road across the street from two large horse stables. The house was pretty old and needed lots of work. It was originally a horse stable, and the bathtub had been used as a horse watering trough. It was also an hour (when traffic was light) away from the oil refinery in Carson where Rod worked. The lot was about a third of an acre but grandfathered to allow horses. Laurel had a love for horses, so we got her one named Misdemeanor. She was a white Appaloosa who happened to be pregnant (we found out after we bought her). The house came with a cat as well.

What we didn't consider was that Rod had allergies. As a child, he had asthma. As an adult, he was very allergic to hay and cats and probably other stuff. Amazingly, after a short time of hauling hay for the horse and living with a cat, his allergies went away. We accrued quite a few animals, including dogs, chickens, and goats. We even acquired wild ducks who showed up in the little wading pool we had in the yard. They had several ducklings. Although they migrated to wherever they came from, they returned to our yard the following year.

In April 1978, Kristen was born. It was a quick and easy birth. She had very few health issues. She was in good spirits, started talking very early and, as she got a bit older, was able to outrun any boy in her class.

By then, we had fixed up the house and added a bedroom and bath (that wasn't formerly a horse trough). We stayed in the Yorba Linda home about three years, then moved to Norco in Riverside County, to a home up on a hill with more acreage. Our animal collection expanded—more horses, some pigs, cattle, and lots of goats, cats, and dogs.

Chapter 2

More Moves

While we lived in Norco, we bought the kids an electric motor scooter. It was pretty small, so Kristen was able to ride it around our driveway as well. She was definitely her dad's daughter. Rod grew up loving cars, especially what they used to call hot rods. He also loved motorcycles.

This was even farther for Rod to get to work. Traffic was terrible, so we moved back to Orange County, and much