ASHLEY SHARES HER REASON TO ROMP
On Saturday, May 19th, Smash + Tess recognizes World IBD Day which unites approx. 5 million people worldwide in their fight against Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases or IBD). Our Co-Founder, Ashley, has been living with Crohn's Disease, and often the Romper is a comforting option to reach for.
With this in mind, Ashley is sharing her story living with Crohn’s Disease and is announcing a NEW Sunday Romper in Bella Burgundy. The special limited-edition Sunday Romper in Bella Burgundy is now available and all net profits from the sale of this Romper will be donated to Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
Currently, there is no cure for Crohn’s Disease and I’ve been told that it’s just something that I have to live with. At times, it’s not easy balancing new motherhood, a thriving business, and poor health. In September of this past year, after 3 years of steady remission, I decided to go off my medication so that I could breastfeed knowing that I wasn’t passing the medicine on to my baby girl. Unfortunately, my health took a quick and steady downturn and I’ve been struggling now for several months to get back on track.Thinking back to when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, it was 7 years ago that I experienced my first acute attack on the night of my graduate degree comprehensive exam. After losing 50 lbs and every test under the sun, it took 6 months before I was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I continue to battle against the chronic illness while trying to balance a hectic schedule.
For the most part, I try to stay very positive and do my best to push through and deal with the discomfort. I’m passionate about living a life that is full and I try very hard not to allow the disease to get in my way. There are those days when I feel low, when I have moments of frustration and tears but I give myself permission to rest and take the opportunity to remind myself of the wonderful gifts in my life.
I know there are so many of you that struggle with chronic illness and I’m so touched with how many notes we get from our Smash + Tess girls expressing gratitude for the comfort that the romper affords. For me, a bad flare up of Crohn’s means nothing tight around my stomach. A simple waistband can be your worst enemy when you have internal pain and cramping. I’m thankful for the loose, drop waist and appreciate having something to throw on that makes me feel cute and confident, despite feeling anything but that on the inside.
I’m so excited to announce our partnership with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. This organization is on the forefront of research and offers people like me support, resources and most importantly, hope, that one day we will have the cure.
So please shop the new Sunday Romper on May 22 in Bella Burgundy and help us raise money for an important cause! And to all of our Smash + Tess girls that struggle with health issues – share your #reasontoromp on Instagram and we’ll share with our #smashtessgirls.To raise funds and acknowledge World IBD Day on Saturday, May 19, we created an extremely limited-edition romper and will be donating the net profits to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. Red is the organization’s colour, so we thought it would be fitting to honour that colour with our new Sunday Romper in Bella Burgundy!
I hope that we can provide you with a little comfort while you take on the world!