It’s been a wild ride… but we made it!
What a ride these past two weeks have been. Which obviously means I’m completely exhausted. I had to get a new domain. I’m sure all of you know by know that my website went into default and taken over by cyber squatters. As a result, the website files were inaccessable. I knew it was the end of Colitis Ninja as a blog. Many of you may know about this.
Goodbye Cruel Interwebs!
I wrote a long woe-is-me “goodbye” post on Instagram and Facebook to let you know what happened with my domain. I had no idea how I was going to fix the problem. Immediately after that post, I received comments. Many of which thanking me and telling me many of you were sorry to see this happen. Sad but grateful that I made a small difference in this world by blogging, I crawled into bed after having a good cry.
GetYourBellyOut (aka Victoria) to the Rescue (aka helping me get a new domain)
The next morning I messaged my friend Victoria at GetYourBellyOut. I told her that should she share any posts from my blog, the links would no longer link back to my blog. She immediately responded, “Let’s not go down without a fight.” Spoken like a true ninja. After a few more words of advice I began a fundraiser. Then Victoria got to work. She replied to every single one of you that posted on my goodbye post asking for your support. That girl is a go-getter. She is a force to be reckoned with.
Because of you and people like Victoria, I met and exceeded my goal in a week. Support, prayers, donations, and encouragement came pouring in. I locked in a ten year domain lease for colitisninja.org. The website is finally back up and running after hours of Tech support chats and finagling my way around. I’ve even got a few ideas to improve the website.
Colitis Ninja’s True Identity
I thought a lot about who Colitis Ninja is and her purpose during this struggle. “Colitis Ninja is a patient advocate!” I would say. “Colitis Ninja’s purpose is to raise awareness!” I believed that. “Hers is the voice of fellow Ninjas who fight in silence.” This statement shows pride on full display. I looked up the definition of advocate. An advocate defends or maintains a cause. An advocate promotes the interestes of a cause, and/or pleads the cause of another. Sounds a bit political in nature. And while I care about politics and have very strong opinions, that’s not what Colitis Ninja does. I went to Washington DC once to talk to politicians about patients living with IBD; I got a bad vibe the whole time. Though I never went public with that until now.
Support, Encouragement, Laughter
Furthermore, politics cannot help you feel better–in fact, I would argue that politics make you feel worse. They make you feel more depressed and dejected. Who needs that kind of support when your bowels are on the fritz day in and day out no matter what you do? I don’t! No… people who are living with a chronic, incurable disease need an ally. People living with an embarrassing and difficult to discuss disease need a confidant. IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) ninjas need a friend who will come alongside them. Someone who will share their experiences with you and give you hope. We need empathy. Not sympathy.
Colitis Ninja is in fact an emotional support ninja. For example: almost ten years ago I was in one of the lowest points of my life. I was in pain and worried, and not sure how I was going to get through life. Then I drew a little cartoon ninja in my sketchbook. I got on X (formally known as Twitter) and connected with Victoria (who by the way, is an amazing and loyal friend). I started blogging for my own sanity… and soon, others began finding support and hope in the little ninja, too.
Thank You
Finally, I want to say thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Because of you I was able to put a lease on a new domain. Even after I was sure that it would be the end of my blog. I thought a part of me had died. I thought I’d lost my “life’s work.” My heart was broken. But again, because of you, I was able to hold on. Yes, you!
Victoria gave me a push in the right direction. My friend Ian also gave me hope. Not only was he the first to donate to the campaign, he also informed me that an archived version of my blog is on the Way Back Machine. (Seriously?! Who knew?) I hope and pray that I can continue to be here for all of you for many, many more years to come. Let’s keep fighting guys! This isn’t the end… I have a feeling that it’s still the beginning. God bless you all!
