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Profile: Nichola, 37 Years Old Extract: ACCAQ Quarterly Newsletter
Name: Nichola
Work and Interests: Studying a diploma in prof counselling, writing, reading, walking my pooch, sepnding time with family and friends, listening to music, watching movies.
Early years: I was brought up in New Zealand and lived on a farm. I loved hockey and horse-riding and kept good health until 17 years of age. I am originally from Invercargill, southland New Zealand.
Most Difficult Experience(s) with IBD: Having to rely on family to look after me when unwell, loss of jobs and relationships, ongoing stoma retraction, loss of independence and motherhood, losing my own mum when diagnosed with IBD, and loss of income - in saying all this I have had new fresh opportunities in life and met some amazing people through having illness.
My Story:
Crohn's Disease sufferer Nichola Hamilton can never have children naturally, so she has her Westhighland Terrier Winston to keep her company.
Nichola Hamilton sees life through rose coloured glasses. She has to. To see her now, Nichola appears to be a bright and healthy young woman, but she hasn't always been a picture of health. Even though Nichola, 37, has battled Crohn's Disease since the age of 17, her outlook on life is anything but bleak.
''Every time I've been in a hospital there's always been someone in a bed close by who's worse off than I am, which only makes you feel blessed,'' says Nichola. ''I feel very blessed to be here and I'm lucky to be alive, literally.''
Originally from New Zealand, Nichola was your typical teenager, a very healthy and active young girl who loved playing hockey and horse riding. She spent most of her time on the farm absorbing all the new challenges of life until life took Nichola on an unexpected downward turn.
''All of a sudden I started to get very sick, which the GP thought was a bad virus,'' says Nichola. ''My weight was dropping dramatically and I got down to 48 kilograms, which was a concern for someone 173cm tall.''
Not aware at the time of the seriousness of her condition, Nichola travelled to the Gold Coast in 1987 for her sister's wedding. However, the wedding wasn't to be the holiday of a lifetime that she'd originally hoped for. Nichola was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and flown back to New Zealand to be treated immediately.
The day Nichola found out about her illness, her mother was diagnosed with lymph gland cancer and died a few months later. Shortly after, Nichola moved to Australia and closer to her two sisters and brother. The move proved essential to Nichola's survival with her family providing much-needed love and support. Over the past 20 years she has endured more than 15 operations and countless hospital visits.
Nichola has been studying part time for the past five years to be a professional counsellor. Next year she looks forward to graduating with majors in grief and loss and relationships.
''I'm slowly working my way back up to the top. I want to end up being self-sufficient again and to work as a counsellor at a holistic health centre,'' says Nichola. ''Studying counselling has been very healing for me; we get to learn so much about ourselves and where we are at in life. 'Writing a book is something I had always thought about and now that it's happened, I'm very excited to have finally achieved my goal.''
For more information or to buy the book go to www.climbingtheladderoflife.com
With all her dreams of having children shattered, Nichola was devastated.
''It was a sad time for me as I love kids and have always been very family oriented,'' says Nichola.
Luckily Nichola found Winston, the Westhighland Terrier. Winston first came into Nichola's life when he was one and has been vigil by her side for the past six years.
''Winston is my new guardian angel which helped replace my yearning for motherhood,'' says Nichola. ''He's extremely good therapy when I'm unwell, just his companionship and unconditional love. For the blue times in life they (pets) give you a great sense of purpose and responsibility.''
After years of conventional medicine, Nichola's body could take no more. No longer responding to medical treatment, she was forced to have a permanent ileostomy. Due to excessive surgery over the years, Nichola was also experiencing complications with her reproductive area and had a hysterectomy at 30 years old.
''At 30 my neurologist said 'you'll have to live on large amounts of morphine from now on' and I said to myself 'what quality of life is that?', so that's when I chose to go holistic,'' says Nichola.
By the time she was 32, Nichola focused on a holistic journey which she claims has brought a much calmer life. In the past four years she has sought a balance of conventional medicines and holistic therapies, including acupuncture and cranial osteopathy.
''You've got to be sensible about it but I really believe in the balance of both,'' says Nichola. ''Much of what I've shared in the book is learning to cope with the illness and meditation is also something that has helped me a great deal, especially with the stress and pain and finding a balance in life,'' she says.
There are approximately 66,000 Australians who suffer from Crohn's Disease. Unfortunately to the majority of Australians the disease is relatively unknown or misunderstood. The actual number of sufferers could be even higher with many people not knowing they have the symptoms.
The Australian Crohn's and Colitis Association (Queensland) Inc. (ACCAQ) is running Crohn's Awareness Week from June 18 to 22. A voluntary, non-profit, public benevolent organisation, the ACCAQ was established for people who have either Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis, and for their relatives and friends.
Nichola hopes that in conjunction with Crohn's Awareness Week, her book will reach out to the public and educate people about the disease.
Crohn's mainly affects the digestive system but can have repercussions on the whole body. Often high levels of medication are required to treat the disease but where this is not effective, surgery is necessary. The cause of Crohn's disease is still unknown and there is no cure. It can be a life threatening and seriously debilitating disease that often comes with depression.
Eighteen months ago Nichola took control of her life and set herself a new goal - to write an autobiography. That goal has finally been realised with the recent release of her first book.
Climbing The Ladder of Life is written with heartbreaking honesty detailing Nichola's tumultuous journey and the often brutal realities of living with Crohn's disease.
''I started to write the book when I was too unwell to work or study, I was suffering from depression with the illness so I turned to writing as a form of therapy,'' says Nichola. ''I believe we must keep the mind active and there is always a way to box on in life.''
Climbing the Ladder of Life was written for the reader to experience each fragile moment where, in some cases, Nichola literally had to fight for life.
''There's a lot of different things in the book that will touch people's lives emotionally and physically,'' says Nichola. ''Illness has given me time to stop and reflect on what's really important in life. I've spent many years in and out of jobs and relationships due to challenging times, but thankfully I've had enormous support from family and friends.''
Nichola was inspired to write her own autobiography after reading similar tales of survival. Her main focus while writing the book was to share her story with other Crohn's sufferers and to influence them to share their story too.
''Crohn's Disease is so common now and we all need support,'' says Nichola. ''It can be a very debilitating disease and I found it really does help to talk to other people. 'Over the years with counselling I have done a lot of journal writing and it made me realise how important it is to share our feelings. Sharing is a big part of therapy and it's important for other Crohn's patients to realise they're not alone.''
Nichola should know. Her life has been a roller coaster ride of turmoil, physically, emotionally and financially.
''The fondest love of all is inside of you, so aim high, soar high and love thyself,'' says Nichola.
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