Sea Point teen triumphs over illness to achieve academic excellence and advocate for IBD awareness

A Sea Point teen says she is determined to live life to the fullest and not let a severe and often debilitating chronic illness get her down. 

Lia Sachs, 19, who had been diagnosed at age 15 with a severe ulcerative pancolitis, a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), achieved nine distinctions in matric last year.

"Diarrhoea, with blood and mucus in the stool, and abdominal cramps are the most common symptoms of ulcerative colitis," she said.

The inflammatory bowel disease only affects the colon, which causes inflammation of the superficial layers of the colon to a varying extent, resulting in “colitis”, or colon inflammation. 

Ulcerative colitis may only affect the rectum (proctitis) or the whole colon (total or pancolitis).

Ms Sachs said she had made a conscious decision not to let her illness define or limit her life.

She is now set to begin her studies in mechanical and mechatronics engineering, with a long-term goal of specialising in biomedical engineering - a field she hopes will allow her to contribute to medical solutions, she said.

For years, she has endured a constant "flare," as her body has not responded to any of the standard or even experimental treatments available.

"The condition means living with constant pain and severe daily disruption, including frequent, urgent trips to the toilet - sometimes up to 14 times a day," she said.

During her studies for her final exams, Ms Sachs said she spent an estimated seven to eight hours in total on the toilet in a single day. Ms Sachs explains: "It’s called an invisible disability".

"Lots of people don't know what Ulcerative Colitis is. It's a lonely disease because few people understand it unless they experience it themselves, as it is not something visible," she said.

To help others, Ms Sachs has become an advocate, focusing on raising awareness and providing practical support. She recently created informative cards that contain a QR code linking to the IBD Africa website.

"These cards serve a crucial purpose: in an urgent situation, people with IBD can discreetly present the card to explain their condition and request immediate access to a toilet, bypassing the difficult and time-consuming need to explain the invisible disease," said Ms Sachs.

She also participates in awareness events like Kids IBD Day, where she speaks openly with children and parents about managing the disease and fosters a network of support.

"I think for me, it's important not to let this disease affect my life. I don't let it get me down. We can learn to get through that and live life to the fullest, in a normal way, without having this disease affect your dreams."

For more information on IBD, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn's disease, or to access support,  visit the IBD Africa website via their public resources.

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