Stronger Together

A toolkit and information resource by patients for patients to help those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This helpful resource is brought to you by the Patient Advisory Council of ImproveCareNow.

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Your personal resources here.

Nutrition and IBD Toolkit

Nutrition tips and ideas + working with an expert as part of treatment and management.

Travel Toolkit

Stories and helpful techniques for travelers with Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Disordered Eating Toolkit

Get expert advice about disordered eating behavior in IBD patients and ways to help.

College and IBD Toolkit

Helpful resources to make the process of transitioning to college with IBD less stressful.

Body Image Toolkit

Understanding body image issues from young people living with IBD.

Accommodations Toolkit

Available accommodations for IBD patients to make life easier and less stressful.

Crohn’s and Colitis Storybook

Helpful perspectives, self-care, and education from others living with IBD.

Transfer Toolkit

A helpful guide for young people with IBD transferring to manage their own care.

Ostomy Toolkit

Tips, tricks, and information from others experiencing life with an ostomy.

More resources for you

Information about the novel coronavirus (COVID -19) for IBD patients and families (LOOP) ICN Research Explained: Population Management: A Tool to Improve Timely Care in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (LOOP) Patient Perspectives on Telehealth and In-Person Care in the Time of COVID-19 (LOOP) Chronic Illness Can't be Solved like an Equation (LOOP) GI Psychology with Dr. Jennie David (podcast) Queer, Sick, and Proud (podcast) What I wish I knew about my J-pouch/ostomy takedown surgery (LOOP) Ulcerative colitis and my relationship with food (LOOP) Mental health is just as important as physical health (LOOP) Personal experience with nutritional interventions (LOOP) Self Advocacy and Transition (podcast) IBD and Identity (podcast) What I would have told my newly diagnosed self (LOOP) Why it’s important to talk about IBD (LOOP) A letter to my younger self (LOOP) From One Ostomate to Another, I promise it Does get Better (LOOP) Resilience with IBD (podcast) Impact of IBD on Body Image and Relationships with Food Part 2 (podcast) Impact of IBD on Body Image and Relationships with Food (podcast) 4 Things I learned as a High School Student with Crohn’s (LOOP) Infusions, Injections, School, and Life (podcast) Back to School with IBD (podcast) Transitioning (podcast) School with IBD (podcast)

Supporting Each Other

Living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease is hard enough. Doing it alone is even harder. The Patient Advisory Council in partnership with ImproveCareNow has created this resource for young people to be educated and empowered. By sharing ideas, tips, and resources, we become a force of knowledge against IBD. As a voice for IBD patients, PAC members contribute to research studies to improve health care innovations and develop better treatments for all of us.


Let’s rely on each other because we’re stronger together.

Being connected to a group of people that have had similar experiences to me, the PAC has really helped me find my voice and define my message.

—Natalie Beck

Connecting with patients and especially joining the PAC has allowed me to see that a diagnosis doesn’t take everything away.

—Shira Futornick

Joining the PAC and the larger ICN community has been the most significant and meaningful patient advocacy experience I have ever had.

—Maha Parakala

Being part of the PAC helps me remember that I'm not alone in this journey.

—Rhea Thakur

In the PAC, I'm actually able to use all these difficult challenges I've gone through to help other people. And I'm not just helping them, I'm helping myself.

—Becky Woolf

Featured Posts

Hello everyone - it's Fionna from the Patient Advisory Council communications team. I'm excited to share that after a bit of a break the PAC is back with an exciting new episode of our imPACt podcast where we chat about a commonly used, but often not discussed, IBD nutritional therapy.

Episode 24 of the imPACt podcast - Drs. Sunseri & Crawford talk...

May 20, 2022

Hi! My name is Sanjana and I was recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in April 2021. A fun fact about me is that I love doing art!

Crohn’s disease taught me not to be so quick to blame myself...

May 04, 2022

When I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at 14 years old, I was shocked. I was lucky enough to already have some familiarity with the disease, but I never thought it would happen to me. I had every single textbook symptom, but I still felt so numb and so distant from the new reality I had to face. This isn’t an uncommon feeling, and it can be really hard to know where to start. IBD is a complex disease, so here are some things I found helpful while learning to navigate those first few months after my diagnosis.

Top 4 Things to Know When You're Diagnosed...

Apr 27, 2022

My name is Autumn; I am 20 years old and I am currently in college. I am from Ohio and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in April of 2008, when I was just six years old. I have had Crohn’s for 14 years this month (April 2022). Something most people don’t know about me is that I absolutely love to travel. Long road trips (at night is my favorite!) and going and seeing places I have never been to before is something I really love and enjoy… I see a lot of adventures in my future! A couple places I would love to visit one day would be Canada and Disney World. OH...I really want to fly on a plane!

I was given this life because I’m strong...

Apr 22, 2022

Let’s all stop to take notice of one of the truly wonderful people around us: Jill Horan. The following reflection was written by incoming parent co-leaders, Heidi and Ildiko, as a celebration of the dedication, creativity, passion and kindness that Jill has brought to her careful tending of the ImproveCareNow Parent Working Group (which has announced a new name, by the way). 

A Thank You Letter to Jill Horan

Apr 21, 2022

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Join the PAC

Together, we can make a difference. Join the Patient Advisory Council today and be the voice for others with IBD.