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John Fullerton

By Anne Kavanagh

Five years ago, John Fullerton developed Crohn's disease. A chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract, it causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and fatigue. There is no cure; the disorder can last a lifetime. He was 12 years old.

The Piedmont seventh-grader missed four months of school, lost 15 pounds and started taking strong medications, which included eight-hour intravenous injections. While some would wonder "Why me?" or wallow in despair, John took action. He raised $25,000 from family members for research into the disease at UCSF.

"I just got frustrated with being sick," explains John. "I wanted to help find better treatments for kids with Crohn's and, maybe someday, a cure."

Crohn's disease is especially serious in children because they often fail to grow normally, according to Dr. Melvin Heyman, chief of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at UCSF Children's Hospital and director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Program. Drugs and nutrition can put the disease in remission, but symptoms may recur at any time.

After struggling with pain and discomfort for several years, John finally felt better by his junior year in high school. Then another flare-up occurred, forcing him to miss 10 weeks of school and being able to play on his beloved football team. "Are they ever going to find a cure?" he asked his mom Pam.

Instead of sitting on the sidelines, he and Pam sent a letter to their community. They raised $20,000 more for the UCSF Pediatric IBD Program, for a total of $45,000. "Our goal was $5,000," says Pam. "This was beyond our wildest dreams."

Now back at Piedmont High, the quiet, unassuming 17-year-old plays soccer and piano, sings in an a capella choir, has almost earned his Eagle Scout rank, andwhen he has timeserves as an altar boy in the family's church. "I dont know how he does it," remarks Pam. "He's a great kid with a great attitude. As a mother, Im very proud."

"What he's done is tremendous," says Heyman, who is John's doctor. The gift is helping fund Heyman's research into discovering the cause of pediatric Crohn's disease and developing more effective therapies. "John is an exceptional young man," Heyman adds, "putting his energies where he can help other children with similar problems."

For information on supporting the UCSF Pediatric IBD Program, contact Faye Ainsworth at (415) 502-6198.

Story first appeared February 17, 2006 in UCSF Today