Famous Sports Celebrities with IBD

At some point in time, the person’s intestines might be inflamed due to an immune reaction of the body against its own intestinal tissue. According to healthcare professionals who are expert in using surgical instruments like forceps, such health condition is better known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD comes in several type and the two most popular forms of the said disorder are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In ulcerative colitis, swelling and inflammation occurs only in the lining of the colon (large intestine) while Crohn’s disease most commonly affects the small intestine. However, the latter type of IBD can also occur in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract (from the mouth to the anus).

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic condition that can be experienced by anyone – children or adult, commoner or celebrity, rich or poor, man or woman. And on this post, you will find some of the famous sports celebrities diagnosed with IBD.

An English Rower and hailed as Britain’s greatest Olympian. He won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games (1984-2000), there Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals. Despite his successful career in rowing, Redgrave battled against severe illnesses and one of them is ulcerative colitis that was diagnosed in 1992.

An accomplished American professional golfer. He won 11 PGA tour events, 10 senior tour events, and 8 super senior (for golfers 60 and older) competitions. In 1980, he underwent surgery to remove his colon due to Crohn’s disease. Currently, Al Geiberger has an ileostomy.

An American football player and currently playing as starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of National Foot. He first experienced bout of stomach pain in January 2004 and it was only in March of the said year when Garrard was diagnosed to have Crohn’s disease. In June 2004, the doctors removed the diseased section of his intestines, measuring about 12 inches.

A former Canadian professional ice hockey player and considered as one of the smallest players of his generation. He played in several teams in the National Hockey League namely Calgary Flames, Colorado Avanlanche, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury likewise played in Belfast Giants of the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League and Tappara of Finland’s Sm-liiga. In 1995, Theoren was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a health condition that makes him adjust his lifestyle accordingly.

A former American professional football player who played tight ends for six seasons for two popular teams of National Football League namely Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. He was diagnosed to have Crohn’s disease in 1995 and it was only in 1999 when he underwent surgery. Experiencing this kind of chronic condition teaches Gedney to put life before games.

A retired Canadian professional ice hockey play and now the head coach of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. His career in ice hockey can be considered as a successful one until 1987 came when he was diagnosed to have Crohn’s disease, which is already at a serious stage.

A retired Canadian professional hockey player who played in several National Hockey League teams namely Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Dallas Stars. At the age of 15, he is already diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. His health condition was only known to public when the symptoms worsened.

A former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, from 1978 to 1987. Benirschke is one of NFL players who had a remarkable career. And what makes his career even more remarkable is when he continues to play while battling ulcerative colitis. In 1979, he collapsed while aboard on the team plane on a flight home and required to undergo emergency survey to remove most of his large intestine. When released from the hospital, he has to adjust to life with two ostomy appliances. After his successful recovery, he was returned to professional football and received a number of honors from different sports associations.

An American professional wrestler whose career lasted from 1967 to 1989.Myers is better known as George “The Animal” Steele while in the ring. He also established a lot of gimmicks in wrestling like acting like a wild man in the ring, a true crazy heel, a wrestler who destroys the turnbuckle with his teeth and uses the stuffing as a weapon, etc. When he was diagnosed to have Crohn’s disease in late 1989, Myers decided to retire. After his complete recovery from the said disorder, George Steele still made some occasional wrestling appearances during the 1990s and 2000s.

An English professional golfer. Morrison first played in England youth cricket teams and at the age of 16, he started playing golf. In 2006, he became a professional golfer when played on the PGA EuroPro Tour and then the Challenge Tour. It was only in April 2010 he won the Madeira Islands Open BPI-Portugal, which is his first win on the European Tour. And just last June 2011, Morrsion was hospitalized due to Crohn’s disease. According to sources, this 26-year old golfer has been suffering from the debilitating disease for the past decade.