About Ellie

My name is Ellie Balakrishnan and I am a rising freshman at UNC Chapel Hill. I have a brother, Zachary, who is 16 years old and have two dogs, Mojo and Hank.

I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in December of 2011 after an upper and lower endoscopy at Duke Children’s Hospital. My symptoms presented as chronic belly pain accompanied by weight loss. Fortunately, my diagnosis was quick and I have been in remission since then.

All of my doctors have been fantastic. Dr. Tom Lin of Duke Children’s first diagnosed me. He has since moved to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio. I was blessed to next find a home at UNC Children’s Hospital under the care of Dr. Sandra Kim. With Dr. Kim, I was able to go into remission and remain there to this day. Dr. Kim recently moved to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. I am currently under the care of Dr. Michael Kappelman at UNC Children’s Hospital.