My autoimmune Journey
Hi there, I’m Hamish, the man behind Young Fit. I’m here to tell you a little bit about my fitness journey while living with Crohn’s Disease.
I first came to realise that something was seriously wrong when I was 17.
I was growing up in Launceston, Tasmania, studying as an apprentice carpenter. Like any 17-year-old I had big dreams for travel, work and life, but my body had other plans.
One day, out of nowhere I started experiencing severe stomach pains. I spent most of my time curled up in pain hiding in the bathroom. I was confused, embarrassed and didn’t know what to do.
Because of the stigma surrounding bathroom business, I kept silent about what was happening to me. Every day I would wake up, keep working and trying to get by, despite my condition worsening. Even when I started seeing blood during my bathroom visits, my feelings of embarrassment and shame kept me from saying anything.
But people noticed. Colleagues started to complain, thinking my frequent bathroom visits were a way to skip out on work. I started having to take days off which were quickly noticed by my boss. I lost my job; being told I was unreliable.
My friends and family noticed there was something wrong, too. I was losing a lot of weight and was incredibly fatigued, I looked like a ghost. This was a stark contrast from the boy who loves health and fitness, that all my loved ones knew me for.
I was fading away, and no one knew the pain I was really in.
One morning I woke up in immense pain, I was unable to get out of bed. My mum came in to see me, I broke down and told her what I had been experiencing.
I was rushed to hospital and sent for tests. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers in the inner lining of the large and small intestine leading to cramping, bleeding, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and painful constant bathroom trips.
I was put on some powerful medication, and after a week laying in the hospital bed I started to get some energy back.
Since being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, my life has significantly changed. Having a name to what I was experiencing meant I could research all about it and learn how to live with it. I could implement strategies to help me get back on track with my overall wellness.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a hard road. I have an incurable disease after all. I spent many years trying to move forward, ignoring symptoms and desperately training to be like everyone else.
But now I have come to terms with who I am, and I have created a new beginning for myself, a new journey into the life of health and wellbeing. My focus on health and fitness while living with my condition has led me to a career in helping others like me do the same.
I have good days and I have bad days. But I have dedicated my life to helping others learn to achieve great things with their bodies when living with chronic illness. Being able to motivate, connect and inspire those around me to be better mentally and physically is an absolute dream come true.