DANVILLE, Pa. — Saige LaCoe is a typical 14-year-old girl who loves to dance. But six years ago, bad stomach pains slowed her down. After many tests and a colonoscopy, Saige was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
"Crohn's is not pleasant at all, but the treatments really help," Saige said.
Crohn's disease is a condition that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. It can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition.
"We have medicines that can help to manage it, diets that can help manage it, but there is currently not a cure for Crohn's disease," said Dr. Rick Focht, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Geisinger.
Dr. Focht treats Saige and other children at Geisinger's new Pediatric Infusion Center at the Janet Weis Children's Hospital.
"This medicine has just worked wonders for her. She comes in every five to eight weeks for her infusions. She gets this medicine that has really kept her disease under control."
Saige's mom Leah LaCoe has noticed a big difference after the IV infusions.
"She's done very good with it. When she first got sick, she was very underweight, not really thriving. She's doing great now," Leah said.
"My stomach doesn't hurt with these treatments, so it's much easier to dance," Saige added.
Saige wants people to know that with the right treatments, you can live a healthy and productive life with this disease.
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