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Coping with Crohn’s: Student talks about living with the disease

By Paula Wolfson

WASHINGTON – Leah Packer was a medical mystery.

For several months, her parents ferried their 13-year-old daughter from one emergency room to another, looking on with fear as she doubled over in stomach pain.

Last summer with no warning, the middle school student from Olney, Md., started having spells: she would vomit just about everything she ate and drank.

By September, Leah, a cross-country runner and soccer player, found she could no longer keep up with the other kids her age.

“I started feeling very tired, had achy joints

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
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