“This IBD role has allowed me to not only further my skills and knowledge within the IBD space, but given me the perspective of how people with chronic disease live and the challenges they face every day. It has allowed me to realise how lucky I am to have my health. This role has given patients who would otherwise be waiting potentially weeks for assistance or advice on their current condition, help and guidance almost
instantaneously. For people living with IBD small changes to diet, lifestyle and medication can largely impact their quality of life, which in turn can have positive impacts on their mental health and wellbeing. I am most proud of being able to ease the burden for those who are going through a tough time with their IBD. A lot of the patients we deal with are unwell yet still going to work, caring for children and family
members and are really struggling to get through the day. To be able to give advice or recommendations and sometimes just be someone for these patients to talk to about their disease is the most rewarding part. So thank you! Thank you for enabling us to make such a big difference in these patients lives and helping to give local West Australians suffering from IBD a better quality of life.” – Ashlee Freeburn,
McCusker IBD Clinical Nurse Specialist
