Kettering 5th grader lives with Crohn's

KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) - Emma Dues is like any other 11-year-old at Kettering's JFK Elementary school, except for one thing -- she has Crohn's Disease.

Her quiet charm matches the disease that silently eats away at her digestive tract.

"Over the summer I was on a feeding tube that went in through my nose and it helped me because I was able to eat solid foods for about three months." she said.

Weekly chemo shots have put the disease in remission, but Emma knows there are no guarantees.

Emma's mother Erin worries about her daughters future.

"That's been the hardest part of just not knowing," she said. "Now she's well, but what I know about the disease it could hit her again and she could be sick again."

But Emma and her classmates are hitting back, doing what they can to help find a cure by creating informational newscasts and fundraisers to promote awareness of a potentially deadly disease.

And they're getting involved in the Crohn's and Colitus Foundation's annual charity walk.

If you'd like to join Emma, the Take Steps Walk is this Friday at Wegerzyn Garden Center beginning at 7 p.m. There's no registration fee, but donations will be excepted.