The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Lead a Record Number of Countries in World IBD Day Awareness Efforts

NEW YORK, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 40 countries across the globe are joining together this year in a unified effort to raise awareness about Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in honor of  World IBD Day, held every year on May 19. This year's efforts, led by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and the European Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA),  center around a global video campaign encouraging anyone impacted by IBD to share their story in a short video with the unifying theme of  "United We Stand."  Worldwide, five million people live with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.  

"Cases of inflammatory bowel diseases are growing at an alarming rate worldwide, including in some of the most impoverished countries in the world," says Dr. Raymond Cross, Co-Chair of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's Patient Education Committee. "World IBD Day gives the IBD medical and patient community an opportunity to join forces in the fight to raise awareness and help find cures." 

"It's wonderful to see so many countries coming together in an effort to raise awareness for these devastating diseases," says Richard Geswell, President and CEO of CCFA. "The internet and universal appeal of videos, makes this  an easy way for everyone to connect and get involved no matter where they are located." 

How to get involved!

The campaign calls for anyone affected by Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis--patients, caregivers, gastroenterologists, nurses, family and friends to submit a YouTube video sharing their story. Videos should not be longer than 20 seconds. It should include your name, your city and country, two sentences about how IBD has impacted your life and end with the message "United We Stand in the Fight Against IBD." For social media, use #UnitedWeStand2015. Videos will be made public on May 19, 2015 and can be viewed on the World IBD Day website (www.worldibdday.org).

In addition the video campaign, CCFA will also be hosting a live Twitter chat Q&A on May 19^th at 4 pm EDT where CCFA's IBD Help Center will answer patient questions about inflammatory bowel diseases. Follow along using #WorldIBDDayQA.

About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is the largest voluntary non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). CCFA's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who suffer from these diseases. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research, providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public, and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more information, visit www.ccfa.org, call 888-694-8872, like us on Facebook, find us on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter and Pinterest. 

About The European Federation of Crohn´s and Colitis Associations
EFCCA is an umbrella association representing 27 patients associations across 26 European countries with more than 100,000 members and 2 associated members representing patients in Israel and Argentina. EFCCA aims to work to improve life for people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease (together called Inflammatory Bowel Disease, or IBD), at European level. Its main objective is to improve the well-being, quality of life and quality of care of people with IBD of all ages, working both at European level and alongside member associations; to improve public awareness of IBD and the concerns of European patients; to encourage research into the disease; and to promote equality of opportunity for people affected by IBD.

SOURCE Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America

Related Links

http://www.ccfa.org/