Tuesday 11 / February / 2025
When Chris Arthur is asked to recall the highlight of his career as a Hollywood stuntman, his face lights up. He remembers how he once stepped foot on a helicopter to receive the memory of a lifetime in the air.
“There I was hanging out the side of a helicopter filming a scene for the season finale of a popular TV show,” Chris says. “There were two of us, and while in a majority of stunts you’re the bad guy, I’m pretty sure we were the good guys. Talk about a high point.”
An unexpected turn
Reflecting back, the 42-year-old thrill-seeker can hardly believe the turns his life has taken since he was laying in a hospital bed 15 years ago, listening to doctors recommend surgery to remove part of his large intestine.
A lifelong athlete, Chris always had a love for athletics, competition, extreme sports and racing. However, at just 19 years old—in the prime of his life—he was diagnosed with a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) known as ulcerative colitis (UC). On the cusp of his dream of becoming a professional race car driver, his career would take a backseat as he focused on finding relief from his symptoms and learning to live with this chronic disease.
Approximately 3 million adults in the United States have IBD, which includes conditions like UC and Crohn’s disease.1 UC is a disease that affects the digestive system, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea and weight loss.2 For some patients, the disease can interfere with their day-to-day routine and change their sense of normalcy.
Searching for the right path
Chris’ subsequent journey evaluating his treatment options benefited from finding the right doctor for him.
“Just like athletes need a strong coach, finding the right doctor was critical in treating symptoms of my disease, which helped me get back to the things I love doing, like racing,” says Chris. “I found a doctor I was comfortable with and he talked to me about my health goals, and transparently walked me through what to expect living with ulcerative colitis.”
After discussing all of Chris’ questions, he and his doctor ultimately decided that a biologic medication was the proper choice for his moderately to severely active UC. From his own experiences, Chris knows everyone’s body chemistry is different and there are no guarantees when trying new medicines. But, for him, this medicine got his symptoms under control which helped him get back to doing the things he used to do.
