OMAHA — Kathleen Baker stared at the seemingly simple question on the form distributed to members of the United States Olympic swim team. What challenges did she have to overcome on her way to qualifying for the Rio de Janeiro Games?
For Baker, one of about 700,000 Americans who have Crohn’s disease, the answer could fill a 70-page spiral notebook, and it is not as easy as WebMD. How does one begin to explain the physical and psychosocial challenges of living with a chronic, recalcitrant gastrointestinal condition that can be embarrassing to talk about? How could she describe the medications that can lose their efficacy over time, or a fatigue so fathomless it can sap your will?