"People need to understand that ulcerative colitis is a serious disease," says Novack. "If you can't go to an event or you have to stay home from work, it's not because you're slacking—it's because you really are sick."



Jill Plevinsky hates when her friends and family try to get her to do things she's not up for by saying, "Oh, come on. You can't be that tired." She likes to answer them by saying, "If you lost as much blood as I do with each bowel movement, you'd be pretty wiped out too."