From Surviving to Thriving: Local Woman Turns Her Crohn’s Journey into a Marathon Mission
Submitted By Kate Huiskens (Former Swanton resident)
At 17 years old, Kate Huiskens never could have imagined that one day she would be training to run a marathon. At that age, she was simply trying to figure out why eating caused so much pain, why she couldn’t gain weight, and why her body seemed to be failing her. What started as years of stomach aches eventually became something much more serious.
At 17, Kate was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. At the same time, doctors discovered a tumor on her right ovary. She was facing major surgery and an uncertain future. Her life suddenly became a cycle of doctors, tests, fear and uncertainty. Kate’s story is chronicled in her memoir, Unshakable, where she writes about her battle with Crohn’s disease, multiple surgeries, faith, fear, resilience and ultimately learning how to thrive rather than simply survive.
Her first surgery marked the beginning of a long journey toward healing. Slowly, Kate began rebuilding her life. Her body grew stronger, and so did her mindset. She turned to fitness. At first, running meant barely a mile and a half. But those short runs gave her something she hadn’t felt in a long time: freedom. “Still, just moving my body gave me a sense of control, and that feeling was priceless,” she writes in Unshakable.
Fitness eventually led Kate into bodybuilding, where she competed as a bikini competitor. The experience taught her discipline, determination and the power of setting a goal and working toward it. But Crohn’s would continue to remind her that life isn’t always a straight line. It is about balance.
A Journey That Came Full Circle. More than a decade after her original diagnosis, Kate once again found herself facing complications from Crohn’s disease that ultimately required another surgery. This time, however, she faced the news differently. She wasn’t the frightened 17-year-old anymore. She had been through it before. She knew fear. She knew recovery. She knew what it meant to start over. And she knew she could do hard things.
That journey became an important part of Unshakable, which Kate wrote not only to tell her story, but to encourage others who may be facing their own difficult seasons. One of the central messages of her book is that we may not be able to control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we respond. “I couldn’t control my diagnosis, but I could control how I faced it,” Kate writes. That philosophy is now carrying her toward her next challenge.
Running for a Reason. On September 20, 2026, Kate will take on the Toledo Garmin Marathon. But she isn’t running simply to cross a finish line. She’s running to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease and raise money to support the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
For Kate, every mile represents something much bigger than running. It represents the 17-year-old girl who once struggled to eat. It represents the surgeries. The hospital rooms. The uncertainty. The days when pain and fatigue made ordinary life difficult. It represents learning to listen to her body rather than fight against it. And it represents the incredible realization that after everything her body has endured, she is still capable of asking it to do something extraordinary.
Living with Crohn’s has taught Kate that there is no straight line to wellness. There are good days and bad days. There are setbacks, appointments, medications and moments when the body demands rest. In Unshakable, Kate describes Crohn’s as a constant balancing act—learning to recognize triggers, respect her body’s boundaries and find a new rhythm rather than expecting life to return to the way it was before diagnosis.
That lesson will be especially important on marathon day. Kate knows there may be difficult miles. She knows she may have to adjust. And she knows that finishing may look different than she once imagined. But she also knows something else: Every step forward is a victory. After her second surgery, Kate learned to celebrate the smallest milestones. Getting stronger. Taking another step. Moving a little closer to home. Those small victories became reminders that progress doesn’t always happen in giant leaps. The marathon will be another collection of those small victories—one mile, one step and one breath at a time.
More Than a Finish Line. Kate hopes her marathon journey will do more than raise money. She wants people to understand that Crohn’s disease is more than a stomachache. It can affect someone’s ability to eat, work, exercise, travel and simply get through an ordinary day. Much of what people with Crohn’s experience is invisible. She also wants those living with chronic illness to know that a diagnosis doesn’t mean their dreams have to end. Kate’s own life is proof.
She went from being a teenager facing a tumor and Crohn’s diagnosis to becoming an athlete, an author and now a marathon runner. She has learned that thriving doesn’t mean pretending adversity doesn’t exist. It means choosing to live fully despite it. “Thriving isn’t about eliminating adversity—it’s about learning to live fully in spite of it,” she writes in Unshakable. That is the message she hopes to carry with her through every mile of the Toledo Garmin Marathon.
How You Can Help. Kate is inviting the community to become part of her journey. There are several ways to support her effort to raise awareness and funds for Crohn’s disease: Purchase a copy of Unshakable. Readers can support Kate’s mission by purchasing her memoir, Unshakable, through her website: www.katehuiskens.com The book shares Kate’s complete journey through Crohn’s disease, surgeries, faith, fear, resilience and finding purpose through adversity.
Purchase race-day apparel. Support Kate and help spread Crohn’s awareness by purchasing race-day apparel from her fundraising campaign: Kate’s Race-Day Apparel Campaign Wearing the apparel on race day—or around the community—helps start conversations about a disease that is often invisible. Make an anonymous donation. Those who would prefer to make a direct or anonymous donation can give through the official Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation website: Donate to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The Foundation uses donations to support critical inflammatory bowel disease research as well as education and programs for people living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. No matter how someone chooses to support the cause, Kate says every contribution matters.
One More Mile. Kate’s journey has taught her that a second chance at life isn’t something to take for granted. After everything she has experienced, she wants to use her story for something bigger than herself. She wants to create awareness. She wants to encourage people with Crohn’s and other chronic illnesses. And she wants to help support the search for better treatments and, ultimately, cures for inflammatory bowel disease.
Her book, Unshakable, carries that same message. In the conclusion, Kate writes: “You are not defined by your struggles—you are defined by how you rise from them.” On September 20, she will put those words into motion. She will run for the girl she used to be. She will run for the people who are currently fighting battles no one else can see. She will run for awareness, for research and for hope. And she will run as a reminder that sometimes the greatest victories aren’t about how fast you go. They’re about refusing to stop moving forward.
This isn’t just a marathon. It’s a celebration of how far Kate has come. And after everything she’s been through, she’s ready to keep moving forward—unshakable.
Editor’s Note: Starting time is 7:00 AM. The race will begin and end at the intersection of Summit Street and Jefferson Avenue
Link to race day apparel: https://www.bonfire.com/kate8217s-run-to-raise-awareness160/?utm_medium=campaign_page&utm_campaign=kate8217s-run-to-raise-awareness160&utm_content=default&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3&utm_source=chatgpt.com
Photo: Kate Huiskins
