"My biggest passion is educating people about Crohn's, letting people know that you are your own best advocate"
This wasn't exactly the case in the 1990s, when Tocomba started experiencing symptoms of Crohn's that she chalked up to being a physical manifestation of some difficult personal times she was facing. At one point, however, the pain was so great that Tocomba couldn't even get out of bed to fix her three children a meal. She didn't know what it was, but she knew she was facing something real. "I was doubled over in pain. I always had to go to the bathroom and I always felt nauseous. There was a point where I had to be hospitalized and continued to lose weight," she recalls.
When Tocomba's symptoms and pain reached the point where she couldn't rationalize away the frequent warning signs her body was sending that something was drastically wrong, she went to her doctor and received an initial misdiagnosis of ulcerative colitis. This led her down an unsuccessful treatment path, all the while persevering in her daily life as the symptoms worsened. It wasn't until 2004 that Tocomba received a correct diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Finally, with the help of a gastroenterologist, a supportive family and her strong religious faith, concerns about the future faded and were replaced by a growing commitment to helping others in need.
Nearly five years later, whether she's taking care of her children as a single mother at age 34, volunteering to help those with digestive diseases or studying to become a nurse practitioner, Tocomba is determined to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead. She has volunteered with the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America as a patient educator for those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) while pursuing a nursing degree at Cleveland State University. She also gives back to her community as an immunization outreach worker for NorthEast Ohio
Neighborhood Health Services and is a member of the Patient and Family Council of University Hospitals at Case Medical Center in Cleveland. In addition to all of this, Tocomba is the leader of the women's group in her church.
"Overcoming the boundary of Crohn's for me is about more than how I feel physically or even how far my personal disease spreads. My biggest passion is educating people about Crohn's, letting people know that you are your own best advocate," she said.
Last summer, Tocomba was one of only 31 individuals, out of 1,100 applicants, selected to receive a one-time $10,000 UCB student scholarship. To win, she had to show strong academic ambition and a drive to reach beyond the boundaries of an illness that threatened to undermine her life. She proved that she is, in no uncertain terms, living well with Crohn's. Tocomba knows the road ahead won't be easy, but now she sees it clearly. She is determined not to dwell on Crohn's.
"Yes, boundaries are set for us—they can also be redefined by us," she said.
