If you happen to not know what IBD is, that's not your fault because, unfortunately, it doesn't garner as much attention as it should. That’s why Amir Eid decided to join forces with the Egyptian Society of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (ESIBD) to celebrate World IBD Day and shed light on the topic -- and if you didn't know, the ESIBD just happens to be sponsored by Janssen Egypt, one of the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson.

With the entire world focusing on fighting and defeating the novel Coronavirus, things like social distancing and minimising human interaction have become the norm. In fact, it's very hard to focus on other diseases and such at this particular moment due to COVID-19 -- and that's what Ben7eb El 7ayah, or We Love Life, are trying to change.

The campaign's mission to spread awareness about Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, also known as Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis.

IBD are disabling autoimmune diseases characterised by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The immune system responds incorrectly to environmental triggers, which causes the inflammation of the GI. The most common symptoms happen to IBD patients is severe diarrhea that can last for more than four weeks, along with bloody stool, abdominal pain and cramping. The diseases, however, should not be confused with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This common mistake tends to frequently happen due to the fact that the symptoms are quite similar, but it should be known that IBD and IBS are very, very different from one another. IBS doesn’t cause inflammation and the tissues are not damaged in it whatsoever, whereas IBD does indeed cause the aforementioned to happen. IBD patients can also suffer from severe diarrhea that can last for more than four weeks.

Now that you're all covered on the wonderful, horrible facts of IBD, let's get down to why we're here. We're here to let you know that May 19th is World IBD Day. On this day, monuments around the globe light up to show solidarity, with Egypt previously lighting up the Pyramids and having Carmen Soliman release her hit song to focus on the cause. In 2020, however, the unstoppable Amir Eid of Cairokee has teamed up with the ESIBD to make sure that IBD gets the attention that it deserves.

"If you think you have any of IBD's symptoms, get checked now because early diagnosis is the key," Eid explains the most important thing about the diseases. Early detection can help further complications from occurring such as surgery or potential disability. With things like Corona currently happening, IBD patients are among those who have been hit hard. Everyone now may be practicing social distancing, but that's just the normal life of any person with IBD.

We are very much in love with what We Love Life are doing, not just by spreading awareness about IBD and teaming up with influential figures such as Eid to talk about the importance of early detection, but also for having a hotline service (16689) that is available around the clock for IBD patients to talk about their problems and seek help.