AGMD Radio Show: An Interview With Ceciel Rooker, IBS Patient & Executive Director Of The IFFGD 

Please join AGMD for our Talk Radio program featuring special guest, Ceciel Rooker, an Irritable Bowel Patient (IBS) and Executive Director of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders IFFGD. This program will be enlightening, educational, and uplifting!

Special thanks to Ceciel as well as the IFFGD for the great work they are doing on behalf of the digestive motility community and for their graciousness in partnering with AGMD in order to draw more awareness to IBS during this April IBS Awareness Month. 

Ceciel Rooker

Nearly two decades ago, as a young adult, I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I underwent extensive testing and workups for many years in costly and fruitless efforts to discover what was causing my symptoms and how to treat them. Eventually, I ended up self-treating as best as I could and spent years trying to teach myself to just live with my illness.

 Ten years ago, I began working for the Rome Foundation, the international nonprofit organization responsible for developing the Rome Criteria – a set of symptom-based criteria used by physicians to diagnose functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders like IBS. As a patient myself, this opportunity allowed me to assist this organization in improving understanding of theses GI disorders. I was able to help develop and manage various projects that have furthered education for physicians in this field. I found the opportunity to increase awareness and education very fulfilling. Far beyond being a job, working for the Rome Foundation provided me an opportunity to help others like myself.

 There are over two-dozen functional GI disorders that can occur throughout the digestive tract. These are chronic conditions that cause life altering and sometimes debilitating symptoms. The lack of specific markers that can be seen on clinical or lab tests to make a diagnosis has led to much misunderstanding about the conditions, and unnecessary suffering among patients and families. The conditions strike people of all ages, most commonly occurring during what should be a person’s most productive years of life.

 While awareness and understanding of the functional GI disorders has markedly increased over the past few decades, I know there is much more to do. I know first-hand that many needs of patients remain unmet.

 In 2017, I became the Executive Director of a patient group, the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD). This is an organization that has a long history of working to improve medical care by conveying the patient perspective while engaging with various stakeholders, including clinicians, regulators, and the research community.

 IFFGD was founded in 1991 by one person struggling with the challenges imposed by a chronic GI disorder. Many others, from all walks of life, have joined with us. We work with patients, families, physicians, nurses, practitioners, investigators, regulators, employers, and others to broaden understanding about GI disorders, support or encourage research, and improve digestive health in the adults and children. We are a Public Charity designated under the U.S. IRS code 501(c)(3) as a registered nonprofit education and research organization. Our mission is to inform, assist, and support people affected by gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.

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For more information concerning AGMD or digestive motility disorders, visit our website at www.agmd-gimotility.org.