A Bronx woman has decided to share her medical condition in order to help others who are facing serious health concerns.
Makeda Armorer-Wade, a life-coach who counsels people facing serious illnesses and other challenges, has lived with Crohn’s Disease most of her life and has just completed her second book about how to thrive with the adversity of a major ailment.
Armorer-Wade, who calls Wakefield home, said that the Crohn’s Disease could be a life-debilitating disease that people are often ashamed to discuss.
Following on the heels of her first book ‘Crohn’s Interrupted: Living Life Triumphantly,’ which was published in 2017, this December she self-published ‘Crohn’s Interrupted: 7 Steps to Love Your Ostomy.’
Her second book was released during Crohn’s Awareness Week, from Saturday, December 1 to Friday, December 7.
“My goal is to really help people who were struggling with this disease,” said Armorer-Wade. “I wrote the book because it is really something I wish I had (guiding me) when I was first diagnosed.”
Her work offers Crohn’s sufferers, a disease that can cause scarring of the intestines, ways to navigate the consequences of a disease that can affect the whole body, causing sudden and unexpected consequences, she said.
“People with Crohn’s suffer with shame,” said Armorer-Wade, adding “You cannot conceive that one day you are doing well and the next day you are lying flat on your back.”
She said: “This is a horrible disease, but you have to live your life with purpose.”
Her writing focuses on practical topics like healthy eating and keeping a food journal, according to the author.
It also touches on how to be an advocate for yourself when seeking treatment, and working to create your own ‘medical team’ that can be a source of ongoing care, support and encouragement, she said.
“My medical team has been with me for many years and they understand my ability to manage many things,” she said. “They actually listen to and understand what is going on.”
The disease breaks down the ability of the body to absorb nutrients, often leading to weight loss, she said.
Armorer-Wade told that Bronx Times that she was first diagnosed with the disorder after she became ill on Thanksgiving Day, at 16-years-old.
In the years that have followed she has had many surgeries, she said.
When she isn’t writing, she works as a curriculum developer and a life-coach.
She said she was also a founder of local non-profit Mentors on the Move, which was active in the early part of last decade, and once hosted a youth summit at Lehman High School.
Her newest book helps Crohn’s Disease survivors adjust to the their ups and downs while still enjoying a social life, offers techniques for taking control of life, become a fierce advocate for themselves, and help others see that there are prominent people living with an ostomy (a bag that collects waste matter from the body).
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