Peters Township brothers help raise awareness of Crohn’s disease
Harry Funk / Staff Owen, left, and Joe Belfiore are determined to help make a difference for those who are afflicted with Crohn’s disease.
Harry Funk / Staff Owen Belfiore is determined to help make a difference for those who are afflicted with Crohn’s disease.
Harry Funk / Staff Owen, left, and Joe Belfiore are determined to help make a difference for those who are afflicted with Crohn’s disease.
Owen Belfiore plays soccer and doesn’t give up too easily when he sets his mind to something.
And it’s his determination to accomplish what he sets out to do that has won him the admiration of his older brother, Joe.
“He will do whatever it takes,” said Joe, 17, a junior at Peters Township High School.
Looking at Owen, 15, a Peters freshman, it’s impossible to tell he is battling Crohn’s disease, a painful and incurable disease that attacks the digestive system. But after a bowel obstruction and surgery, and a regimen of medications, the only restriction these days for Owen are dairy products and foods with roughage.
“There are occasions when I wish I could eat popcorn,” Owen said, explaining that he doesn’t feel different from his peers and is comfortable discussing his illness.
On June 11, Owen, Joe and their parents, Christine and Tony Belfiore, will participate along with family members and friends in Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis at Hartwood Acres. The event seeks to bring awareness and attention to the disease, which affects 16 million Americans with about 70,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Christine said Owen was 7 when she noticed something was not right, as he had stomach pain and night sweats. A colonoscopy revealed he has Crohn’s, a disease that had not affected anyone else on either side of the family.
For several years, medication helped. Owen would make biweekly trips to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for checkups, as well as a monthly trip for intravenous infusions of the immunosuppressant Remicade.
But all of that changed three years ago. Owen’s body developed antibodies to Remicade, and the drug stopped working.
He then developed a bowel obstruction. In 2013, he had a bowel resection and missed three weeks of school and playing soccer.
Joe saw his brother suffer and his parents make some tough medical decisions for Owen.
Knowing he had to do something to help, Joe’s first step was to educate himself about Crohn’s. He then volunteered at Washington Hospital and formed a team to raise money to help fight Crohn’s.
That was three years ago. This year, the two brothers hope to raise at least $3,000, a goal they expect to reach and possibly exceed by June 11. In the three years that they have participated in the Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis, Joe said he and his family have raised nearly $10,000.
“It affects a lot of people,” Joe said.
Since Owen was diagnosed, Christine said three or four families have reached out to the Belfiores. Some of the people have sons or daughters who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s and want to know what to expect, she explained, adding she is happy to answer their questions.
For more information on the upcoming charity walk for Crohn’s and colitis, visitwww.cctakesteps.org/pittsburgh2016. To donate, go to teamowen31.wix.com/ccfa.