London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 01, 2025

Crohn's: How social media is helping young people with the condition

Crohn's: How social media is helping young people with the condition

It was Christmas Day 2020 that Lucy Harman fell extremely ill.

For months before, she had been struggling with worrying symptoms, like blood in her poo, and she'd rapidly lost weight.

But during dinner, she collapsed, and was taken to hospital.

Within 48 hours, she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

Now, two years later, the 20-year-old is working with a large community online to raise awareness of the condition and its symptoms.

"I think the important thing is that often people think bowel diseases just affect old people, and they forget that anyone at any age can get it," Lucy - who has over 1 million likes on TikTok - tells BBC Newsbeat.

"I've met such a wide range of people online, some who are really struggling and in hospital all the time and other people who are out there living their lives, controlling their Crohn's quite amazingly."


Sharing my journey


Crohn's affects people of all ages, and it's a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.

There's no cure, but the NHS says symptoms can be managed by tablets, injections or surgery.

Chloe says social media helped her learn more about her feeding tube


Chloe Dixon is another young woman who was diagnosed with the condition in 2019, and like Lucy, shares her experiences online.

Crohn's most commonly impacts the bowels, but it can impact any area of the digestive tract.

For the 21-year-old, it impacts her oesophagus - it means that she has to wear a feeding tube.

"My main goal is to spread awareness because Crohn's doesn't necessarily mean that you've got to have poor bowel movement," she says.

"It's not always the case, and when you do understand the full extent of Crohn's, it can literally affect any part of your GI tract.

"Even my consultant said to me, it's so rare to have someone like have a patient with Crohn's in their oesophagus, like it's extremely rare."

Chloe says social media has helped her understand more about the condition.

"I didn't know anything about a feeding tube, so to be able to sit there and watch others get their advice really helped me in my journey," she says.

"I always wanted to bring that to others."

Ziyad was diagnosed with Crohn's at age 17


Ziyad Al-Dibouni, an NHS radiographer, is also trying to raise awareness of Crohn's and colitis, another inflammatory bowel disease, through Instagram and TikTok.

The 32-year-old was diagnosed with Crohn's when he was 17.

He says he was initially told by doctors the symptoms could have been caused by tiredness, or stress from studying for his A-levels.

"When you speak to anyone with an invisible chronic illness, they will often tell you that they will experience some form of symptom or discomfort every single day," Ziyad says.

"And we just kind of get on with it. And lots of people often say that the most common phrase that we hear is 'you don't look sick'."

"I also have a radar key that gives me access to disabled toilets, because Crohn's and Colitis are actually classified as hidden disabilities," he adds.

"And that key has been very helpful as Crohn's disease can be very unpredictable."


What is Crohn's disease?


Crohn's disease affects people of all ages. The symptoms usually start in childhood or early adulthood.

It's a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.

The main symptoms are diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, blood in your poo, tiredness (fatigue), weight loss.

The NHS recommends seeing a GP if you have, blood in your poo, diarrhoea for more than 7 days, frequent stomach aches or cramps or if you have lost weight for no reason.

Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Crohn's and Colitis UK, says that young people talking openly about Crohn's on social media has been "inspiring".

But she warns that there's a huge amount of misinformation online - so those who suspect they have symptoms should go to the doctor - instead of dealing with the condition themselves, which could be dangerous.

"First of all, young people will look at things that are really not appropriate to dealing with a serious condition which needs proper medical management.

"Sometimes there are quite dangerous restrictive diets, which are completely inappropriate.

"Or they might be told, take some supplements, or why don't you change the way you're living."

She also says young people might mistake symptoms for just being stressed or tired.

Sarah, Ziyad, Chloe and Lucy all say that if you suspect you have any symptoms, to go see your doctor.

"I think there is such a huge stigma attached to speaking about bowel symptoms in general, and not just when it comes to inflammatory bowel disease," Ziyad says.

"I think a lot of the stigma occurs through the lack of understanding or misconceptions some people have on the topic."

"It's incredibly important that you see your diagnosis in a positive light, because sometimes people see it as the worst thing in the world," Lucy says.

"But actually a diagnosis gets you the treatment that allows you to keep living your life.

"And so I think people need to try their hardest to be confident that talking to a doctor is not an embarrassing thing."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
×