At the age of 16, Rachel was told she had Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease which causes ulcers in the digestive tract. By 28, her medication was no longer working. She was losing the Game of Crohn's.

She underwent major surgeries to have a stoma formed, which left her with a bag on her stomach. While about 100,000 people in the US alone have this surgery each year, there are still huge stigmas around stomas. But as she found out, her semicolon enabled freedom and confidence she never thought was possible. Rachel Thomas is originally from Katikati and has been a Wellingtonian since 2016, where she works as a senior health journalist at The Post. When she isn’t doing that she is riding motorbikes, spending time in or around the sea or wandering the aisles of Bunnings Warehouse. At the age of 16 she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, then at the age of 28 underwent major surgery which left her with a ‘barbie butt’. Rachel will be delving into her semicolon story, the intricacies of serious inflammatory bowel disease and invisible illness and explain why a bag on her stomach opened up a world of confidence she never thought was possible. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx