Becoming the next American Idol is more than just performing and singing your best in order to be at the highest peak. This is one realization that Casey Abrams learned as he joined season 10 of the best talent search contest in the US. However, his story is can be considered different from the many aspiring contestants as he entered the search while being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a kind of inflammatory bowel disease that results to diarrhea mixed with blood. Yes, when the pain triggers, it can be hard to perform any given task, even just standing up and singing your soul out. Nevertheless, Abrams was able to endure it all, even placing sixth on the Idol competition. Now that the Idol fever will rest for a season, he has pushed a drive that will make the nation be aware about IBD and its effects.

Because of the efforts Casey Abrams had done with American Idol, hundreds of people with IBD have submitted their stories, hoping to be called and be acclaimed as the 2011 IBD Icon. These are not just people hoping to get the title, but all of them, just like Abrams, are living with UC or Crohn’s disease and living life to the fullest, with hope, faith, and optimism. They wanted to be heard and they need all the support they can get in finding cure to IBD. Just how serious is this National Disease Awareness Campaign? If Casey’s fans club gets to about 1,500 members by November 1, he will have his famous beard shaven, and the sponsoring group doubles its donation to $20,000.