Woman, 21, Was Dismissed by Doctors for Years and Told to Lose Weight. More Than a Decade Later, She Learned What Was Wrong
By Toria Sheffield
Published on May 2, 2026.
Amelie Russell, a 21-year-old woman from Australia, claims that doctors dismissed her debilitating intestinal pain for years, often telling her to lose weight. She continued to visit doctors, but they dismissed the issue as minor or minor. Eventually, she sought a second opinion and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes severe inflammation of the small intestine and colon. The disease also causes diarrhea, fever, fatigue, belly pain and cramping, blood in the stool, and anal pain. Despite her diagnosis, Russell still struggles to manage her symptoms and is urged to stay on top of the chronic disease.
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