NEW GLASGOW – At first, Rochelle Currie believed her son Cooper Semrau was just unlucky when it came to catching gastro bugs.
In hindsight, she can see it was symptoms of Crohn’s that Cooper was exhibiting months before what he was fighting finally had a name.
Cooper was first officially diagnosed with the disease in July of 2018. He was only six years old at the time and had no family history of the illness.
“When we think back on it, it was probably March he would have had symptoms,” she said.
“We thought that he was kind of unlucky just getting gastro bugs and his belly would be off and not feeling great.”
But as she watched her son playing hockey, she realized it was more serious. In June 2018, Cooper was at a road hockey tournament and couldn’t finish it.
“I just remember looking at him and realizing he was tiny. He had lost a lot of weight,” Currie said.
So the family took action, first seeing a doctor at the Aberdeen Hospital and then being referred to the IWK. Initially he was given an NG tube which ran from his nose to his stomach to administer medicine and food. Jolly ranchers were one of the few things he could eat.
While gastro illnesses are often referred to as unseen illnesses, for Cooper, it was very much in your face during those early days of his diagnosis, says Currie. As a parent it was a hard thing to watch.
Thankfully, that was only for a period of time. Now Cooper is on another form of medication which he takes every six to eight weeks and is keeping his Crohn’s in remission. He is gaining weight, getting taller and having a lot of fun playing sports with his friends again.
But the family knows that at any time the medication could stop working and his symptoms could return.
That’s why they believe it’s important to continue to fundraise for a cure and more treatment options for Crohn’s.
This year Cooper will be honourary chair for the Gusty Walk in Pictou County, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 2 at Carmichael Park in New Glasgow.
Already he and his teammates on Cooper’s Super Troopers have raised more than $3,400. He and his friends have been selling lemonade and popcorn to fundraise.
Cooper encourages other youth facing this illness to know that it will be OK.
“You’ll get used to it,” he says.
For him, what was once a debilitating illness is now under control thanks to the efforts of those who have worked to fight the illness before him.
Currie encourages other parents to take advantage of the resources that are available.
“There will be some difficult moments for sure,” she said. But it’s made easier by “utilizing the resources that are available to you.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Gutsy Walk
When: Sunday, June 2
Times: Registration, 1 p.m. Walk begins, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Carmichael Park, New Glasgow
How: To register a team or donate visit Gutsywalk.ca