The American Idol “Top 6” finalist, Casey Abrams, looks to highlight inspiring stories of those who have pushed beyond the limitations Inflammatory Bowel Disease imposes on their life.

Casey Abrams’ battle with Ulcerative Colitis came to light earlier this spring while competing on American Idol. Despite trying to put on a strong face & not bring attention to himself due to his illness, he eventually became so ill that he had to be hospitalized & receive blood transfusions. Since the news of his health problems became known, he has received an outpouring of support from his fans & those who have Inflammatory Bowel Diseases like Crohn’s Disease & Ulcerative Colitis. Mr. Abrams recently spoke with FOX’s Beth Galvin about the struggles he faced during American Idol & beyond.

IBD Icons is Casey Abrams new project which is asking patients who have either Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis to share their story about following their dreams despite their disease. Two IBD Icons will be selected, one with Crohn’s Disease & one with Ulcerative Colitis. The IBD Icons will receive an expense paid trip to Las Vegas where they’ll be able to attend the largest nighttime running event in the world along with a concert & a meet and greet with Casey Abrams himself.

I think it’s great that Casey is participating in this project, the only issues I have are that some of the requirements for entry sound a little strange. For example:

Your Story Should Not Include

Mentions of the specific brand(s) of UC or Crohn’s treatments you have taken in the past or names of treatments you are currently taking. Please do not include specifics on how often or how you take your UC or Crohn’s treatment.

At first glance I thought they probably don’t want people rehashing their entire treatment history in their story & they’re aiming for some brevity as they have a 1,000 word limit per entry. However the conspiracy theorist in me is looking at Janssen Biotech who is the manufacturer of Remicade which is one of the most expensive IBD drugs on the market. The optimist in me is suggesting that perhaps this is just a protection against accusations of bias if someone who is taking Remicade wins. It’s probably not a big deal as the winners of the IBD Icons project could take the publicity gained to promote whatever healing method they feel worked for them. Probably best to give the benefit of the doubt in this situation & not rain on what is overall a positive project for those with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis.

Want to know some great “IBD Icons”? Check out Wanted: Crohn’s End, Crohn’s Adventure Foundation & The Purple Dress Project.