Health

From Brooke Kato

July 11, 2023 | 8.40pm

Victoria Danson thought she was just very stressed.

Then she was told she had 24 hours to live.

The 33-year-old UK mum of one had experienced fatigue and excruciating abdominal pain, but dismissed it as some typical stress.

That is, until she was diagnosed with irritable bowel disease and, later, Crohn’s disease developing an abscess in her abdomen that resulted in deadly sepsis.

In the hospital, she was given 24 hours to live as the life-threatening infection took over her body, requiring surgery to remove the abscess she remembered was located on her ovaries.

I didn’t even have time to really figure out what was going on, Danson, from Chorley, Lancashire, told NeedToKnow.co.uk. All I knew was that I was in agony and would do anything to get rid of the pain.

Doctors removed 18 inches of his intestines, resulting in him receiving an ileostomy bag.

I was telling them I didn’t want an ileostomy bag, but it was my only chance of survival, she said.

After the 2014 operation, her previously carefree lifestyle faded before her eyes and she feared she was different.

Initially, I didn’t think I could go on living and couldn’t see how I could continue with my active lifestyle, she admitted.

She was forced to change her diet due to her condition, which this time has reverted to her small intestine and will need further surgery.

Avoiding high-fiber foods, drinking green tea, taking supplements, and avoiding caffeine eased symptoms.

I had to do a lot of inner work to accept my condition, added Danson, who is the mother of a 7-year-old son.

Now she’s giving back to her new community and has even started her own support group, Crohns and Colitis Support Lancashire, where she supports hundreds of people.

I feel like I’ve had to rebuild my whole life around my purse, so I want to be able to empower and inspire body confidence, said Danson, whose body confidence savior has been the gym. There is no emotional support and that is why I created this group.

He conducts seminars at universities to educate others about his invisible disease while managing his disease without medication.

“I’m living proof that with the right mindset you can still achieve your goals no matter what, but always seek medical advice if you’re unsure,” she said. It could save your life.