Triumphant Mainer Takes Strides to Attempt First Half Marathon

I'm doing this for the person I was six years ago, fighting for my life, and unsure of what kind of future I'd have.

Eryn Neptune had been a multi-sport athlete all her life, including competing D3 in college, but in 2012 she was hit with a debilitating disease that caused her to lose weight and muscle, and even threatened her ability to graduate. Eryn has Crohn's Disease, one of the major Inflammatory Bowel Diseases that affect 1.6 million Americans. Luckily, she found a doctor who worked with her to find a treatment plan to push her into remission and keep her there, but her medicine inflicted horrible side effects and Eryn found herself gaining weight rapidly and fighting the depths of depression.

Obviously, no part of this battle has been a walk in the park, but Eryn realized she didn't have to let her disease rule her life. She sought alternative and complementary medicine and stress reduction techniques to help her climb on top of her side effects, went on to gain a master's degree in nutrition, and now works as a Health and Wellness Educator at the University of New England. She has been in remission now for nearly 5 and a half years.

Eryn's story is inspiring to anyone struggling to beat IBD or any disease that threatens to derail one's life. Now that she has the energy to raise awareness and help to fight back, Eryn is raising funds to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.

Her goal is a whopping $3,900 and if we help her raise the funds, she will have the opportunity to fly to California and run her first half marathon. You can contribute to Eryn's cause on her fund raising page. While running 13 miles in Napa Valley would signify a great achievement for Eryn, she says that's not why she's doing it: