Who is Carly Lubic? You could say Latrobe marching band’s saxophone captain, a band kid, an all around cool kid. Looking at her, you would not be able to tell there is anything wrong with her, and there isn’t. In 7th grade, she found out she had Crohns Disease.

Crohns Disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that usually affects the intestines. Symptoms include cramps, weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite, as well as loss of energy. Crohns is a chronic disease, which means there are periods where you experience many symptoms and periods of remission. Crohns affects over 700,000 people, most between the ages of 15 and 35.

Lubic said that she was made fun of when she was first diagnosed. “I had to drink Ensures and go to the bathroom a lot,” says Lubic. “My body was also reacting to the disease, so my hair was turning darker and I was losing a lot of weight.” Losing weight is one of the most prominent symptoms of Crohns Disease.

“Carly has always been a happy go lucky person, and she tried her best to remain that way, despite having Crohns. She’s one of the strongest people I know,” said good friend Jessica Yasher. Latrobe’s band director, Mr. Sheridan, calls Carly an “exceptional student” and said, “Carly is a hard worker in band and she is the life of the band.”

Carly hasn’t had to deal with Crohns alone. Her good friend Maddie Wilson (also a junior at Latrobe) also have Crohns. “Carly just brightens my morning and we’ve become better friends through Crohns. We’ve bonded over our shared struggles and I’m so glad to have her in my life.”

Dealing with just puberty in middle school is hard, but Carly had to tackle her disease as well. In 9th grade, she developed depression, because she hated having a disease that would not go away. At the same time, she discovered her passion for art. “I realized that art helped through the stress of everything I was going through. I also realized that I wanted to go college for Computer Animation.” She enjoys drawing funny cartoons that gives her the laughs she needs when she goes to the hospital. Lubic now aspires to go into the movie or gaming business for animation.

Even though her Crohns has gotten worse (she has to go to hospital every two months for remicade), she expresses her feelings through her art. “Drawing just makes me feel better,” said the aspiring artist. Her friends credit her work ethic and personality as a part of her success of becoming saxophone captain and just an all around happy person.