A little over four years ago, I found myself sitting tearily on a hospital trolley, a blue gown pulled tightly across my belly. At the time, I was 16 weeks pregnant and waiting to be wheeled to the operating room.

I’ll get through this, and then it’s done, I remember thinking. I’ll be back to a normal, healthy pregnancy.

Grace was four months pregnant when she had her first emergency surgery, with 15 more to follow in the coming years. Credit: Getty Images

What I didn’t know then is that between that day and now, I’d end up having 16 surgeries. Or that I’d eventually be diagnosed with an aggressive form of Crohn’s Disease, which I’ll be managing forever. Or that I’d see at least 10 specialists in six hospitals, as complications from my illness crept over my body and engulfed my life.

On that day in July 2021, all I knew was that I was on that trolley after I had developed sudden, severe pelvic pain a couple of weeks earlier.

My pelvis and backside felt deeply bruised and tender. I struggled to sit in most positions, and the pain kept me up at night. When I told a doctor this, they quickly diagnosed me with “an overactive pelvic floor” and suggested that I “see a physio, look into relaxation techniques, and work on your stress levels”.

I left that appointment

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