ORCHARD PARK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Seantrel Henderson #66 of the Buffalo Bills looks on from the bench during NFL game action against the Indianapolis Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium on September 13, 2015 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Chronic diseases are some of the most misunderstood ailments in the world today.

When a person has one, it doesn’t mean that by this time next week, it will go away. It means that they will continue to deal with the symptoms of that disease until the day they die. That is a daunting thought, often too large in scale for anyone to truly take seriously.

Crohn’s Disease is one of those diseases that is improperly evaluated by the general public. Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson battles it daily, yet is currently serving a 10-game suspension from the NFL for cannabis use. Why is there such a disconnect between people who suffer from the disease and the doctors who treat them, and the general public who believe those taking the drug are using it as an excuse to get high?

While not a medical doctor, I am uniquely qualified to talk about the battle Henderson is facing. I also battle Crohn’s Disease on a daily basis and have also had multiple surgeries to help fight the affliction. I’ve had feet of my toxic intestine removed so that I could live a normal day-to-day life.

The term “quality of life” is used often when you are first told about your autoimmune disease. It can’t be cured and treatment will soon be about managing the disease rather than anything else. Immediately, you lose your sense of what normal is, you get a new normal and you try to build from it.

This includes using the bathroom in upwards of five times a day all the way up to 20 times if the disease has progressed to a state that severe. Symptoms include cramping, fatigue, diarrhea and even blood in your stool. The common refrain is “That doesn’t seem so bad!” The phrase becomes nails on a chalkboard and normalizes it for the outsider. I’ve described it at its worst as “the Alien always trying to burst its way out of your stomach.”

Plainly, it fucking sucks.

Henderson, who for a period of time had an ileostomy after having 80 cm worth of intestines removed, spoke about the adversity he had to deal with to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:

[Henderson] was inactive the final five games, and in January he had about 2 1/2 feet of toxic sections of his small and large intestines removed in surgery. For nearly four months, he had to wear an ileostomy bag that was attached through a hole near his waist, and every hour the bag had to be emptied, meaning Henderson was never able to get a good night’s sleep.

“I was depressed, I was down, I was insecure about myself,” he recalled. “I had the bag, not being able to use the bathroom for three or four months. I couldn’t do anything I wanted to do, I lost all that weight, I was very unhealthy. I had no appetite like it used to be, so it really had my mind not all the way together. After I had the second surgery, and I started getting back into working out and things like that, things started being on the up and up for me.”

While the stigma around ostomy bags is still being fought, undeniably the change of having your intestine go out through your stomach is a jarring one. Your daily life is changed by it, the normal routines that you have had now circle around an exit plan. The bag may leak, you may have to find a restroom. Depending on the reaction to all of this, you may still be getting debilitating nausea regularly.

Henderson had another surgery to reverse the procedure and attach his remaining intestines to his colon. He lost 50 pounds during his battle with this disease. It isn’t unheard of for biological treatments to not work before or after the surgery. Personally, I lost 60 pounds as well and was as low as 115 pounds at my very worst. Only after surgery did I find any type of steady remission.

This is a main reason why cannabis is used to treat the disease. Multiple studies have confirmed that you can achieve complete remission by using medical marijuana to combat Crohn’s. In Henderson’s case, he has tried to explain his use.

“I’ve got doctors telling me this is the No. 1 medicine that would help your disease,” he told reporters in November, including Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News. “You try to tell that to the league and it seems like they didn’t care too much.”

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 24: Seantrel Henderson #66 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates with the fans after the game against the New York Jets at Ford Field on November 24, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bills defeated the Jets 38-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – NOVEMBER 24: Seantrel Henderson #66 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates with the fans after the game against the New York Jets at Ford Field on November 24, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bills defeated the Jets 38-3. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Finding what works is by far the hardest part of it all.  At one point, I was taking 30+ pills a day to battle the disease and it caused permanent damage to my liver in the process. If Henderson using a natural, plant-based method to treat his disease is the solution to his problem, what is the NFL trying to stop here? Not only is it helping manage his symptoms, he finally has hope for a normal life. Hope is a rare emotion that can manifest itself in plenty of ways. He may have found his in an uncommon way.

Dealing with Crohn’s Disease is similar to standing on the side of an Olympic-sized swimming pool with a cinderblock attached to your feet. When it is flaring up, it feels as if the cinderblock has been kicked inside the pool, you’re constantly trying to swim upwards to try and get a breath. The depression will weigh you down, the pain will weigh you down, the self-doubt will weigh you down. If you’re given a life raft, you take it.

Henderson should be commended for his recovery. Being punished by the NFL for it is short-sighted and frankly, kind of evil. Everyone knows how flawed the punishment mechanism is in the NFL today; it is completely binary and for whatever reason, can’t be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Over 1.3 million people in America battle Crohn’s and Colitis daily. While it does not have a cure, tiny slivers of hope are found daily by people all over the country. Continuing on with your life is a tough thought for many. That’s why one of the most popular sports in the U.S. needs to allow Seantrel Henderson to play the game he loves. Let him be your most unlikely role model.

About Sam Blazer

Sam is a self proclaimed chess prodigy. He once placed seventh in the state of Ohio in Chess when he was in kindergarten. He will rarely if ever mention though that only eight people were entered in this tournament. Contact him at sblaze17@gmail.com