Brian Prendergast
A fully qualified ‘Old Crohnie’, 40+ years and counting
Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at 18. Now in his late 50s, and by his own account, the most chilled-out person you’ll meet in a crisis — which took him about four decades to manage.
Why I wrote this book — in Brian’s own words
“It has taken me a long time, but now I’ve published my book on Amazon. It’s basically written as a self-help book for people with Crohn’s, Colitis and IBS — that wasn’t even intentional, it just turned out that way.
It’s my own personal journey for about 40 years with Crohn’s, and by reading it, you’ll hopefully spot something in your own life that makes your symptoms worse, and be able to eventually learn how to combat it. From talking to people who’ve read it so far, it turns out we’re all very alike in certain ways — they were able to spot personality traits that I had, but they had too. I was able to change mine, and so did they.
The book is non-medical, but it brings you through my ups and downs, and thankfully, ups again. Existing Crohnies, apart from buying it for themselves, are also buying it for their partners and family members — simply to help them understand what daily reality looks like for a Crohnie.
Even though it’s a serious subject, I made the tone lighthearted, because sometimes all you can do is laugh at our situations. I hope you enjoy the read.”
Brian, at a glance
- Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland
- Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at 18, following emergency appendix surgery
- Married to Geraldine — his wife of over three decades, and his ‘first saviour’
- Busker turned lifelong musician — still playing with the same bandmates 30+ years on
- Career spanning sales, printing, teaching, graphic design and web/computer repair
- Completed a Degree in Digital Technology & Design at age 50
- Multiple bowel surgeries, a clinical trial turned down, and major open-heart surgery
- Now an author, sharing four decades of hard-won lessons with fellow ‘Crohnies’
Then & now
Left: at a wedding, aged about 21, weighing 7 stone (99lbs) — just out of hospital, in a suit three sizes too big because there hadn’t been time to have it altered. Right: aged 58, weighing a much steadier 13.5–14 stone. Happy enough with that.
Read the rest of Brian’s story
Every hospital stay, every setback, every comeback — it’s all in the book.