Mighty Member since October 2015
Carissa Haston is the founder and president of G-PACT, Gastroparesis Patient Association for Cures and Treatments, the leading nonprofit in the U.S. working on a cure for DTP. Digestive tract paralysis includes gastroparesis (GP), chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) and colonic inertia (CI). At 23 years old she founded G-PACT in 2001 (you can also connect with G-PACT on Facebook). She had to have a five-organ transplant because of gastroparesis and CIP (small bowel, stomach, pancreas, liver and duodenum). She had to receive a liver because her liver failed on TPN (the IV nutrition). She had lost all of her veins for central lines due to sepsis and was 62 pounds at time of transplant. She’s still kicking over ten years later! Carissa also suffers from multiple other conditions including mitochondrial disease, dysautonomia, Raynaud’s phenomenon, osteoporosis, long QT syndrome, optic neuropathy, dumping syndrome, a swallowing disorder, advanced brain atrophy, other neurological conditions leading to frequent falls. and generalized chronic pain. She has no colon, has an ileostomy and is fed through a j-tube. Carissa has a B.A. in studio art with a double concentration in graphic design and illustration. Her dream has always been to become an art therapist because in addition to writing, creating art has always helped her cope. She also dreams of writing and illustrating her own children’s book someday. Currently, she is working part-time at her local public library.