Weeks after testing positive for COVID earlier this year, 8-year-old Reese was still feeling really ill. Doctors assured her parents that the nausea, stomach aches, and fevers were lingering symptoms of the virus, but Reese’s mom felt in her gut that something else was going on. Reese was eventually diagnosed with Chron’s Disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the lining of the digestive tract. Since then, Reese has endured countless blood draws, colonoscopies, and infusion treatments.
Navigating life with a newly diagnosed chronic illness has been difficult and Reese has expressed anxiety about other kids thinking that her disease is contagious. As a way to empower herself, she has taken an interest in learning as much about her condition as possible. She wants to be involved in her ongoing care and is extremely mature for her young age.
Reese loves to do arts & crafts, ride bikes with her dad, play with her little brother Wyatt, and ride horses. Even though she has many interests, horses have Reese’s heart. She loves to ride and feels so at peace at the barn. Reese’s ultimate sports dream is to visit the Tryon Equestrian Center and “watch the horse shows and meet the horses”.