LAS VEGAS - Twenty-two-year-old Dana Bernstein was diagnosed with advanced Crohn's disease when she was three-years-old.
"It affects every second and every minute of an everyday life," she said. "People have no idea. We can look great on the outside, but we can be in the hospital within a matter of hours."
Crohn's disease is an autoimmune deficiency that attacks the digestive system - keeping the body from properly absorbing nutrients. It's a disease that is often misunderstood.
"It can range from just having to go to the bathroom a lot for someone to major intensive surgery, needing nutritional support through IVs all the time," Bernstein said.
Years of life-threatening surgeries and drug treatments have taken a toll on Dana and her family. Dana and her parents found a new way to fight back.
The Rock n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon will shine the spotlight on Crohn's disease and colitis. Dana will help put a face to this illness. She says the support of her community and her family has been crucial to her health and spirit.
"I grew up in the mentality of, ‘Okay, it's not great, but this is what I have. So, what can I do with that?'" she said.
She says, despite all she's been through, she's glad to help people better understand her disease.
"I've become so passionate about it, and speaking out about it, and being an advocate, and putting a face to this really horrible, disgusting, embarrassing disease," she said. "This is my situation and a lot of other people's situation who are afraid to step forward."
This year's marathon is expected to bring in close to $2 million for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation.
