"After a Flare, the Sun Always Rises" - a book by Jacek Hołub about living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and microscopic colitis are diseases that affect over 100,000 people in Poland. They are chronic, embarrassing, and often invisible to those around them. Jacek Hołub, spokesperson for the Polish Society for Supporting People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease "J-elita," a reporter and patient who has lived with Crohn's for over 20 years, writes about them in his latest book, "After a Flare, the Sun Always Rises. Stories of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Loved Ones."
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain, bleeding, weight loss, fever, and fatigue. It tends to be recurrent, with periods of exacerbation and remission, when symptoms subside or become less severe. IBD can also cause extraintestinal symptoms, affecting the eyes, joints, and skin, among other things. Patients with acute exacerbations often require hospitalization, and those with severe disease often undergo surgery to remove a portion of the intestine (in Crohn's disease) or the entire colon, and create a stoma.
In Poland, approximately 75,000 people live with ulcerative colitis, and nearly 25,000 with Crohn's disease.
This isn't a medical guide. It's a journalistic journey. "After a Flare, the Sun Always Rises: Stories of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Loved Ones" tells the story of people who have learned to cope with a disease that seems to have no end. Hołub gives voice to those who—despite pain, embarrassing symptoms, surgeries, ostomies, and misunderstanding—have not lost hope, humor, or dreams. This is a book about courage, solidarity, and everyday victories over helplessness.
"I didn't want to write about illness, but about life—how painful it can be, but also how delightful it can be, even when everything seems difficult. Illness doesn't have to rob you of your dreams. It can teach you what's truly important in life. I wanted to show that you can live well with illness," says Jacek Hołub.
In Hołub's reports, we meet people who did not give up: Zosia - a copywriter who sings about overcoming pain, Piotr "Punk Rosomak" - who establishes the "Brygada-J" support group to give strength to other patients, Magda - after years of suffering, she learns to enjoy the little things and not be ashamed of her body.
The author describes the difficult path to diagnosis, the struggle with symptoms such as debilitating diarrhea and pain, and the impact of the disease on the characters' personal, professional, and mental lives. These stories demonstrate that even with the most burdensome illness, it's possible to live life to the fullest—just differently.
Our scars, ostomy bags, and enteral feeding tubes don't disfigure us —they're a testament to what we've been through. They show what kind of warriors we are. We can be proud of that," writes Jacek Hołub.
One of the key challenges in the area of inflammatory bowel disease in Poland is implementing a comprehensive patient care model. Experience from European countries indicates that implementing integrated healthcare models in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease brings numerous benefits. A multidisciplinary approach, including that of psychotherapists, dietitians, surgeons, rheumatologists, and dermatologists, enables more comprehensive and personalized treatment.
For 20 years , the "J-elita" Society has been educating, integrating, and supporting patients, and fighting for access to modern treatment. It is within the "J-elita" community that friendships, ideas, and hope are born—stories like those featured in this book.
"After a Flare, the Sun Always Rises: Stories of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Their Loved Ones" isn't just a book about the disease. It's a story about humanity, acceptance, and the power of community. It's about how, even in the most difficult moments—when everything hurts and the world shrinks to a few meters between bed and the toilet—you can get up, step out of the shadows, and move on with your life.
"I've experienced tremendous pain and shame because of this disease. I would have preferred to be healthy, but since I already have Crohn's, I've accepted it and made a life for myself. This book is my attempt to repay that debt: these are stories about how, although the disease closes many doors, it allows us to discover new, different paths," says the author.
It is a book that inspires hope, provides knowledge, and teaches empathy - not only towards the sick, but towards everyone who faces limitations.
Crohn's disease robbed me of my health, but gave me a sense of sensitivity. Thanks to the disease, I met people who fight and win every day. This book is about them. About ordinary heroes who transform everyday life into courage," Hołub emphasizes.
The electronic version of the book can be downloaded free of charge from the website https://j-elita.org.pl/poradniki/po-zaostrzeniu-zawsze-wstaje-slonce-historie-pacjentow-z-chorobami-palenie-jelit-i-ich-bliskich/
Jacek Hołub , a journalist and author of social reportage books, has lived with Crohn's disease for over two decades. He is the spokesperson for "J-elita" and editor-in-chief of the organization's quarterly. He was associated with "Gazeta Wyborcza" for many years. He is a recipient of the Crystal Card of Polish Reportage and a finalist for the "Newsweek" Teresa Torańska Award.
In his work, he combines the sensitivity of a reporter with the experience of a man who knows what illness, fear, and hope are.
Author of, among others, books:
"I Have More of Everything. Life on the Autism Spectrum" (Wydawnictwo Czarne) - awarded the Book of the Year 2024 title in the "Non-fiction, Journalism" category in the Lubimyczytać.pl poll;
"Without Me You Are Nobody. Violence in Polish Homes" (2021, Wydawnictwo Czarne), awarded the Crystal Card of Polish Reportage;
"Naughty. Stories of Children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger's Syndrome" (2020, Czarne Publishing House);
"Let It Die Before Me. Stories of Mothers of Disabled Children" (2018, Czarne Publishing House).
Source of information: Polish Society for Supporting People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease "J-elita"
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