More to the Story with Staley: Rosie White

UNITED STATES (WDEF) — It is estimated that between 600,000 and 900,000 people in the United States battle a disease known as ulcerative colitis. It can affect anybody- even professional athletes.

The American soccer team arrived in New Zealand earlier this week for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Along with Australia, it’s the first time more than one nation has hosted a World Cup event. Team USA is the two-time defending World Cup champ.

One of the New Zealand broadcasters for the month-long event will be native New Zealander Rosie White, herself a former pro soccer player, and a three-time World Cup competitor.

But White’s battle is more than on the pitch. She’s fought ulcerative colitis since she was 19 years old.

“To be diagnosed with such a disease when I had never had any health issues before was pretty confronting,” White said. “It took me a while to come to terms with the fact I would have to pay attention to this for the rest of my life.”

White now knows a lot about that chronic disease. Ulcerative colitis affects the colon and large intestine. It’s common among young adults. But according to the medical community, there are a wide variety of treatments.

“No one size fits all. We can choose on how severe your disease is. As to where it’s located. We can also look at lifestyle. And then we can personalize it,” explained Dr. Bincy P. Abraham, a gastroenterologist.

For White, this was the perfect time to join the Supporting You with UC campaign: educating people on the disease, which will cause lifelong pain if not treated.

“It’s important for people to understand what’s going on with your body, so you can talk to a health care professional,” White added.

White says she wants to reach as many people as possible about the disease, so they can better manage life’s activities.