+34Living with Crohn's disease forced Danielle Tolan to leave a career she loved, but it also led her to discover new strength and resilience.
At just 27, Danielle Tolan has already faced life-changing challenges. Living with Crohn's disease forced her to leave a career she loved, but it also led her to discover new strength, resilience and perspective.
At 27 years old, Danielle Tolan from North Dublin is someone who has always embraced an active lifestyle. Whether she’s in the gym or out for a run, she values staying active and making the most of feeling well. But behind that determination is the daily reality of living with Crohn’s disease, an invisible illness that has shaped many of the biggest decisions in her life.
After finishing her Leaving Certificate in 2018, she began her dream career in hairdressing when a newly opened salon in her hometown of Skerries gave her the opportunity to train as an apprentice. She spent six years building a career she loved, but in 2024, her health forced her to make the difficult decision to step away from the profession. While changing careers was a significant leap of faith, it ultimately had a positive impact on her overall health.
Danielle shares her experience of living with Crohn’s disease, the challenges it has brought, and how she has learned to adapt while continuing to look ahead. It all started whilst away on a sun holiday; I started to feel unwell with severe abdominal pain, vomiting and blood in the stool. Like anyone, I had just put it down to a stomach bug or an infection.
I was home for a couple of weeks, and it hadn’t cleared up, and people began to notice the extreme weight loss I was having. Ever since then, it has been a constant battle of being in and out of flare-ups. Day-to-day can be difficult; you can have extremely good days, and then extremely bad days you really don’t know about.
Some days you are unable to leave the house due to a flare, making it difficult to commit to work, travel and attend social events. Currently, I take medications every day along with injecting myself fortnightly and will have to do this for the rest of my life to try and keep my condition somewhat under control.
I first went to the GP not long after I got home from that holiday, as the symptoms had persisted . I had dropped a lot of weight in such a short time as I had very little appetite and was barely taking fluids. I had a long discussion with my GP, and she advised that I needed to attend the hospital.
I was admitted there for over a week, but after numerous tests they were unable to find an exact cause. They were concerned about my weight as I had dropped to around 43kg so they arranged for a dietician to come up and see me before being discharged.
It took about two years to get an official diagnosis; during this time I was in and out of hospital quite a lot, along with numerous GP and gastroenterologist appointments, colonoscopies, MRI scans, blood tests and stool samples. In July 2021, symptoms had flared to an extreme level along with approx. 10-15 bathroom visits a day.
I had an urgent colonoscopy, and it was then that my consultant explained to me that I have Crohn’s Disease – a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that affects the digestive tract. You had to leave your job as a hairdresser and transition to an office role instead. Can you tell us more about this? In 2024, three years after being diagnosed, I came to the difficult decision of leaving my job as a hairdresser.
My career was extremely tough; I was only a year into my dream job when this all started, and I missed a lot of time at work. I qualified in early 2023; my diagnosis had a massive effect throughout as I was trying to balance the demands of an apprentice as well as the daily challenges posed by the condition. A hairdressing job can be very intense with long hours, on your feet all day and engaging with clients.
After much thought, I had to decide on my future and put my health first. I needed to slow down, and I knew the physical demands of my job were affecting me. I was always very interested in the administration side of things, so I took a risk and started as a clerical officer in the medical field. My office-based role is still demanding; however, it is more mentally than physically focused.
I am no longer constantly on my feet all day and thankfully can take regular breaks. Having a chronic illness can cause a huge financial strain on people. For my final year of hairdressing, I had to shorten my working hours to part-time to try to help with the fatigue and flaring of my symptoms. Unfortunately, this was impossible to maintain as my wages were significantly reduced and I found it difficult to secure any additional financial support.
The medical costs alone can be huge for routine appointments, prescriptions and blood tests. Thankfully, since my job change, I have noticed positive changes with my symptoms; I have more flexibility within the office environment, can now work full time and have more energy at the end of a working day. Significantly. It’s an unpredictable condition which causes anxiety as I never know when a flare-up might happen or how it’s going to affect me.
Living with the chronic pain, fatigue, and constantly planning around my symptoms can be very draining. Body image is another huge impact, as it has affected my confidence and self-esteem. Over the years, my weight has fluctuated a lot, from losing so much weight to then gaining weight due to illness and many different medications.
The disease has prevented me from attending social events and, over time, has caused low mood and stress as it has affected relationships and also work. On the other hand, living with Crohn’s disease has taught me resilience and the ability to adapt to challenges. I have learned how important it is to look after both my physical and mental health.
Engaging with the Crohn’s & Colitis Ireland charity has been a huge help to me over the years; speaking openly about the condition has allowed me to meet many other people suffering from the same condition. I always remind myself that ‘you are what you eat’, meaning if you eat well and exercise regularly, you automatically feel better in yourself.
I always ensure I have a healthy, balanced diet that supports my gut, along with identifying foods that may trigger my symptoms . Although the condition cannot be caused by any particular foods, it’s important to notice any triggers that may aggravate a flare-up. Supplements such as a probiotic are also very important, as the condition can affect the absorption of nutrients, especially vitamin B12 and iron.
I had to learn the importance of maintaining healthy vitamin levels and ensuring I have the required nutrients to help reduce any fatigue, along with supporting overall health and energy levels. The main thing I always try to emphasise to people is that Inflammatory Bowel Disease is more than just a sore stomach. It’s a lifelong autoimmune condition that can flare up anytime.
It can cause numerous symptoms in the digestive tract but can also cause issues with joints, skin and eyes. It can affect people’s relationships, careers and their physical and mental health. It’s important to remember that this is an invisible disease, as symptoms such as pain, fatigue and the urgent need for the bathroom can all make people look healthy on the outside but struggling on the inside.
Another challenge is that the disease is totally unpredictable; people can feel well one day and experience a flare the next. This makes it difficult for people to commit to plans or maintain a normal routine. It’s extremely important to remember that living with a chronic condition can mean having difficult days. On these days, understanding and support are far more valuable than judgement, and offering help in any way can make a significant difference.
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