Coping with Crohn’s a work of art
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman For the Lethbridge Herald on April 30, 2021.
The 26th annual Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada will take place virtually once again. It will be held on Sunday, June 6, at over 60 locations across Canada.There are 270,000 Canadians living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and researchers are expecting that number to rise to 400,000 by 2030.
As Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s largest research fundraising and community event, Gutsy Walk has raised over $46 million since it first began in 1996. They are a volunteer-driven charity focused on discovering cures and improving the lives of everyone affected by these chronic diseases.
Every dollar raised through the Gutsy Walk helps Crohn’s and Colitis Canada in their efforts to invest in research, educate patients, families, industry and governments about Crohn’s and Colitis and to improve the quality of life of those affected by these chronic diseases.
Lethbridge Gutsy Walk chapter has named Andrea Kowalchuk as their virtual Gutsy Walk Honorary Chair this year. She is an artist who has been involved with the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Lethbridge chapter since 2018, after seeing a post on social media regarding a meeting.
Unfortunately, social media didn’t have the same presence when she was first diagnosed in 2003. This made it very hard for her to connect with others suffering from the same disease, so when she found out about the Lethbridge chapter, she didn’t hesitate to join.
“I have met so many incredible Crohn’s and Colitis warriors, as well as countless people here to support the cause as caregivers, family, friends and community,” said Kowalchuk.
In 2003 when Kowalchuk was first diagnosed, she was in high school. In November of that year, she thought she was suffering from the flu, but after it didn’t go away her parents took her to the hospital. To everyone’s surprise an exploratory surgery was necessary and her perfectly healthy appendix was removed.
Her first year was tough. She had multiple surgeries and ended up in the hospital for two months. After being strictly on IV fluids for such an extended period of time, she lost so much weight that she required a wheelchair to move around, until she gained enough weight to walk again.
But after that very difficult year, Kowalchuk has been able to manage her disease with medication and she has been in clinical remission since 2004. Now she is pregnant with her first child.
As an artist she had coped with her illness through painting. Her art consists mostly of abstract paintings, with a variety of shapes and vibrant colours.
Some of them display medical equipment that helps her tell the story of her two-month hospital stay. During that stay she was on very strong pain killers, which in some cases caused her to have hallucintations, which she later expressed through paint. One day during her hospital stay, she hallucinated pink elephants. Which is why she uses bright colours, and psychedelic styles in her art.
She turned her pink elephants into a series, which was exhibited at The Gallery at CASA in July and August of 2020.
She also did a series that was based on repetition that was about having to take her medication every day and be really diligent about it. Also, other art pieces dealing with sensory things, like when you’re in pain versus when you’re comfortable.
This year as a Lethbridge virtual Gutsy Walk Honorary Chair, she will be helping the Lethbridge Chapter by doing individual fundraising with her family, as well as encouraging others to do the same on social media.
The Gutsy Walk this year is encouraging people to walk around their neighbourhood or a local park with their families, while respecting COVID-19 protocols. This will showcase their support for people living with Crohn’s and Colitis all across the country. 2
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