Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jake Diekman knows what it’s like to struggle with colitis.
Diekman was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, when he was just 11 years old.
It’s the reason he started the ‘Gut It Out’ Foundation, to connect patients suffering IBD with caregivers.
Diekman tries to personally meet as many young IBD patients as possible. During an Astros-Rangers game this month, he met 11-year-old Cullen Garza, one of his biggest fans. Cullen suffers from indeterminate colitis. To Cullen and other young IBD patients, Diekman is the perfect example of how colitis doesn’t have to stop you from achieving your dreams.
The ‘Take Steps’ Walk at the Houston Zoo on Saturday, May 19 will benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. For more information on the ‘Gut It Out’ Foundation, click here.
