Successful Startup & Dealing with Health Problems?
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Julian Weber, who was the model for YC in the sense that he was our seed investor, had a bad case of Crohn's disease. Among other things he had been the first president of the National Lampoon, which must have been a lot of work, though perhaps not as much as a startup. He was a successful lawyer in New York so I believe medical expenses were not as much of a consideration for him as for the average person.How he managed to get so much done despite the disease, I'm not sure. He was very tough. I suspect he also arranged his life to allow for times when he felt too bad to work.I do know for sure that, except for feeling like crap a lot of the time, which he always concealed, Crohn's didn't prevent Julian from living well. He made money, had a happy family, and had an interesting life.http://www.paulgraham.com/julian.html
I have some insights into this topic that I'd be happy to share privately. Email tom.howard/gmail.
My father has Crohn's. Or I should say he had Crohn's. My whole childhood I remember him struggling with the disease and supporting our family while working 60-70 hour weeks. When I got to college he had surgery to have a resection with the diseased portion of his intestine removed and the healthy ends re-attached. Almost 15 years later and Crohn's hasn't returned. It certainly wasn't an easy surgery but his life hasn't been the same. He eats what he wants to and if anything he's gained weight since.Best wishes to you.
I have Hashimotos Disease, which is a sister disease to yours. I started 8 Women Dream, which will be a social website for women with big dreams. I think you can do anything if you are passionate enough - even when ill. Do you really think a programmer with the failing marriage - relationship - life is any different? People go through crap in their lives - it happens. My start-up makes me fight my disease - and yes - it's not easy. But I am so committed to my project that I would rather die doing this than live forever working some county job.If you haven't given up gluten (all bread, pasta etc) then start there. If your symptoms don't get better, weed out dairy. Eliminate sugar if it still continues after giving up gluten and dairy. Last but not least, when you have done all this, eliminate caffeine, and switch to green tea and lots of water.Gluten can really mess you up. Take care of yourself! Catherine ,
oh and if you need further support and information - feel free to email me eightwomendream/yahoo.com I know you can get better! CatherinePS Oprah has Hashimotos disease and now she is starting a publishing empire.
Haemophilia A here. I'm working on my startup/app solo and full time, off consulting savings.I think some kinds of software startup are actually well-suited to people in my position. I'm able to work on something from home that has a half-decent chance of turning into a successful, hands-off, small business. I can't imagine what I'd do if my livelihood depended on moving physical inventory around.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Good stuff to consider and try.
> Crohn's diseaseI had a friend who had this from a very young age up until she was 26. She kept switching doctors, and after the nth one, turns out it had been a curable disease the whole time. She is much better now. Not trying to give you false hope, I have no idea how often that happens.