Meet Honoree Ally Bain

Ally has had Crohn’s disease since 2001 when she was 11 years old. For awhile, flare ups and mismanagement of medical care caused her to miss school because she was running to the bathroom, sometimes going as much as 40 times in one day. During high school, she had several surgeries related to her Crohn’s, including one that was due to her colon perforating, resulting in a temporary colostomy, which would allow her colon to heal. Before finding quality medical care, her case of Crohn’s almost killed her. Each day was unpredictable, and she never could have imagined what would happen to her several years later.

When she was 14 years old, she was shopping at a retail store when her Crohn’s began to flare, and she needed to find a restroom immediately. The store did not have public restrooms, so she and her mother spoke with the store manager. While Ally was bent over crying and in pain, he continuously denied her access to the employee-only restroom and claimed he was making a “managerial decision.” After leaving the store, Ally knew this could not happen to her or anyone else again. That day, she contacted her local state representative. Within months, Ally was helping to write legislation that would allow anyone with a medical emergency access to an employee-only restroom. She testified before a committee where it passed unanimously, just as it later did in the Illinois House and Senate. It was signed into law in August 2005 as the Restroom Access Act, more commonly known as “Ally’s Law.” To read more about Ally's Law click here.

With her Crohn’s disease currently in remission and as a senior at Lake Forest College, Ally has continued to spread awareness and has sought passage of the Restroom Access Act in other states. Since 2005, it has passed in eleven other states, and Ally is working to get it introduced on a federal level. Ally has also stayed involved with the CCFA and is an active member of the National Youth Leadership Council as well as a participant of fundraisers and events like Take Steps. She plans to participate in Team Challenge in the near future and is grateful to all who have joined in the cause to help find a cure!