69/100 DAYS (ish) Alessia Maio. Crohn’s has been “a speed bump, not a roadblock”.
The Women of Influence Podcast with Kate MeadeShow Notes
September was Crohn’s & Colitis Australia’s Live Fearless Challenge, but behind the campaign there is Alessia; with an invisible illness and refusing to be defined by circumstances she never chose.
At 25, Perth's Alessia Maio is studying to become a paramedic while managing Crohn’s disease that has required three surgeries this year alone and hospital treatment every four weeks. She first experienced symptoms at 16, including severe pain, bleeding and needing the bathroom up to 30 times a day, but wasn't diagnosed until she was 20.
There are still days when Alessia comes home exhausted, in pain and dealing with symptoms nobody around her can see. Yet her experiences as a patient have helped shape the life she wants to build. She volunteers with children and families at Perth Children’s Hospital, is a member of the WA Ministerial Youth Advisory Council and is pursuing paramedicine because she wants to bring the empathy she has experienced as a patient into her own career in healthcare.
As Alessia puts it, Crohn’s has been “a speed bump, not a roadblock”.
Thank-you Alessia for sitting with me and sharing.
Enjoy the episode
Luv Kate
OH! And if you are listening for the first time! This is your introduction (required reading). This series is unedited, raw and just gets straight into it. You have been warned! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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