Kaila making cookies.
Caden and Kaila Bergmann鈥檚 lives are filled with the everyday joys of childhood.
Kaila loves fashion and bringing her creativity into the kitchen, especially through
baking. Cookies are her personal favorite.
Caden can often be found practicing on his electronic drum set or searching for new
Pok茅mon card packs to grow his collection. His most prized card is a Mega Charizard
X EX #130 Phantasmal Flames.
But for years, an invisible illness was quietly reshaping their childhoods.
Caden is holding his most prized Pok茅mon card.
At an early age, Kaila started to face unexplained changes in her health with a succession
of symptoms that at first seemed disconnected. By the time she was 10, she lived with
near-constant complications, including eczema, lip rashes, broken bones that would
not heal, extreme fatigue and gums that began turning purple.
With Kaila鈥檚 symptoms not improving, her parents, Michelle and Greg, sought out answers.
A colonoscopy eventually revealed the diagnosis: Crohn鈥檚 disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causing inflammation in the digestive tract. Identifying the root cause behind Kaila鈥檚 symptoms opened the door to a treatment plan that could help her begin to feel better.
鈥淟ooking back now, everything makes sense,鈥 Michelle said. 鈥淎t the time, though, Crohn鈥檚 is such an 鈥榠nvisible disease鈥 that we didn鈥檛 realize all of these small symptoms were connected to it.鈥
What the family could not know then was that Kaila鈥檚 experience would help them recognize the warning signs in her younger brother, Caden.
When Caden began showing similar symptoms, the Bergmanns knew what to look for. Doctors were able to identify and treat his Crohn鈥檚 disease earlier, minimizing the most severe complications.
Along the way, the family began receiving care from the pediatric gastroenterology team at the USF Health Chalsty Pediatric Clinic, where they met Jacqueline Larson, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist and assistant professor at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Larson worked in collaboration with the family鈥檚 physician in New York to help continue the children鈥檚 care closer to home, giving the Bergmanns a trusted local partner.
Larson understands Kaila and Caden鈥檚 journeys in a way that goes beyond her expertise as a physician. She has lived with Crohn鈥檚 disease for more than 40 years.
Diagnosed when she was just 4 years old, Larson grew up at a time when treatment options were far more limited. She endured frequent hospitalizations, multiple surgeries and long stretches of time when illness kept her from having the same kind of childhood as her friends. Eventually, her colon could not be saved and she began relying on liquid nutrition and an ostomy bag.
鈥淲hen I was diagnosed with Crohn鈥檚 disease back in the early 1980s, there were no effective treatments out there,鈥 Larson said. 鈥淏ut while my colon鈥檚 life may have ended, my life was just beginning.鈥
Those experiences became the foundation of her career. Larson resolved to become the kind of physician who could help children avoid the hardships she faced, leading her to specialize in pediatric gastroenterology.
鈥淔or me, my childhood was taken away because I was always sick,鈥 she said. 鈥淣owadays, I always tell parents, 鈥業鈥檓 going to make it so your kid doesn鈥檛 even know they have Crohn鈥檚 disease or ulcerative colitis.鈥欌
That mission guides the way she treats patients like Kaila and Caden. Each child represents an opportunity to change the course of a disease and, in some ways, rewrite the story Larson once lived herself.
She often thinks back to something her mother told her when she was younger.
A childhood photo of Larson sitting beside her mother.
鈥淢y mother once told me that I have this disease because I could handle it, and one day I would use my experiences to change other people鈥檚 lives for the better.鈥
Advances in modern therapies have dramatically changed what is possible for children diagnosed with Crohn鈥檚 disease. Today, both Bergmann siblings are responding well to individualized treatment plans tailored to their specific needs and supported locally through Larson and the USF Health team.
Kaila independently administers her own medication, while Caden鈥檚 care utilizes a dual-treatment approach. For the family, the care and support from USF Health has had a transformative impact on their daily life.
Kaila holding one of her sweaters.
鈥淓ver since we have been on treatment with Dr. Larson鈥檚 help, everything鈥檚 been calmer,鈥 Kaila said.
鈥淢y stomach has been hurting less and I can eat a lot of stuff that I couldn鈥檛 before,鈥 Caden added. 鈥淚t just helps a lot.鈥
Now a teenager, Kaila says what once made her feel different has become part of how
she shows her confidence, creativity and strength. She has turned to fashion as an
opportunity to express her voice, often incorporating shades of purple 鈥 the color
associated with inflammatory bowel disease advocacy 鈥 into her outfits and accessories.
She hopes that her story can help other children facing Crohn鈥檚 disease and similar
invisible illnesses.
鈥淚t gets easier. Things don鈥檛 stay bad,鈥 she said. 鈥淵our illness does not define you. You can be yourself; you can do hard things.鈥
Kaila too believes that having a doctor who has also lived through the disease made an immeasurable difference.
鈥淭hank you, Dr. Larson for being someone that I can trust,鈥 Kaila said. 鈥淭hank you for being a person that is a great doctor, but also a friend.鈥
