Running for a cure, not just to the bathroom

Irene Brociner quietly suffered with painful intestinal cramping and urgent bathroom breaks growing up. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 26 years old.

Brociner, who described herself as shy, said she did not want to bother her grieving father with intestinal problems after her mother and sister both died while she was a teenager. “I didn’t want to overwhelm him,” she said. “So, I struggled with it year after year.”

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are medically known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. “Ulcerative colitis is inflammation in the large colon and Crohn’s disease can effect anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract – mouth to rectum,” said Dr. Steven Walerstein, Medical Director at Nassau University Medical Center.

Brociner’s condition is confined to her large intestine and she is constantly running to the bathroom. “It’s a hard disease to live with,” she says.

Many patients control their symptoms with medication, but Brociner has chosen a natural path. She said her doctor recommended medication, but she simply consumes probiotics and follows a vegetarian diet. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, “Probiotics are live microorganisms that are similar to beneficial microorganisms found in the human gut.”

Dr. Walerstein says that for some patients, IBD is a day-to-day annoyance, while others require bouts of hospitalization from dehydration, blood loss and fever. The Center for Disease control states that IBD accounts for more than 700,000 doctor visits and 100,000 hospitalizations each year.

While it may appear that Brociner has a mild case of Crohn’s, she says, “It’s a painful, embarrassing disease to live with,” and attends support groups offered by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. She also started volunteering with the organization three years ago and recently combined her passions – running and raising funds for a cure.

Brociner awakes early on Saturday mornings, along with nearly 40 others, to train for her second half marathon with Team Challenge, CCFA’s endurance training and fundraising program. She said some participants have IBD and others run on behalf of someone they know. This year, the participants will run the Zappos.com Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon down the lit Las Vegas strip.

Nicknamed “Irene the Machine,” she needs to raise $3,700 to join her team in Vegas on Dec. 4. Bathroom urgency and frequency is still a daily issue for Brociner, “but when I run, I feel at my best,” she said. “I just go, and not just to the bathroom.”

Brociner is hosting a fundraiser on Wednesday at Moe’s Southwest Grill on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow. The fast-food restaurant will donate 15 percent when customers mention CCFA. More than 80 percent goes directly to research, education and support services.

To donate online, visit http://www.active.com/donate/LI11TCVEGAS/vegas11longislandIBr