Inflammatory bowel disease is a debilitating autoimmune condition, but how do you cope with it at a young age?
Molly Carroll was diagnosed with the condition just before turning 17. She was due to sit her Leaving Cert mock exams when she suddenly became ill.
A month after her diagnosis, Molly suffered a perforated bowel and developed septicaemia. She underwent emergency surgery to have her entire large intestine removed.
She told The Last Word it took her a long time to reach a state of acceptance.
"I spent three months in hospital, I had to learn how to walk again, all my hair fell out. I went down to under seven stone and was really emaciated."
"The first six to nine months was just surviving, and the coming years after that were when it became traumatic."
"I felt a lot of anger. "I remember one day just thinking, 'I'm done feeling this way.' I tried to turn that anger into a different kind of action."
Molly is now an advocate for people living with bowel conditions, and wants to bring an end to the stigma that they often face.
"I've been challenged on using disabled toilets in the past. It's definitely hard because I feel like I don't look sick on the outside, but if you saw me in swimwear, I'm covered with scars."
Although she suffers from some degree of pain and illness every day, she finds the support of her friends to be invaluable: "Surrounding yourself with understanding people is the best thing you can do."
Listen to the interview in full by pressing the play button on this page.
