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People find their careers in different ways, maybe they dreamed about it as a kid
or follow in the footsteps of a family member, but it was illness that let Mike
Costello to become an x-ray tech.
I have Crohns disease, and it's just
chronic illness that never goes away. I always got brought down to the X-ray department
take x-rays on my stomach and
what not, and it looked like an easy job so I figured I can do it
and it turned out anything but easy. Mike diagnosis caused his whole life to
change when he was a junior in high school
instead of playing sports like baseball and basketball
he spent a lot of time resting which was hard for such an active guy.
After two years of playing pretty regularly and being
key part of the team, just gets taken away and
and then when you're sick hearing about all your friends doing this and doing
that
he thought about all the time he spent getting x-rays as a patient,
which led into the radiologic technology program at South Suburban college
with all the challenging course work Mike found himself struggling at times.
Stress is not really good for Crohn's and of course taking test
is very stressful so that kinda put a double whammy on it
he was hospitalized a couple of times he had concerns and I had
put it to rest right away that you know we can work with him.
we caught him up, the only thing he had to make up with this clinical
time.
Sherry is the best. She would always email back right away
If you had a question and she was just always pretty much there
she gives you the best opportunity to succeed and she's
probably one of the best teachers I've ever had. After Mike graduated from SSC
he was hired at Ingalls family care center where he did some of his clinical
work
now he gives back to the healthcare community that helped him get back on
his feet
You have to always be aware what was going on, one time a 6-foot-2 patient
about
I was looking at him, are you still with me, he was like yeah,
and then all of the sudden he faded into my arms so I to put him in a chair luckily I had it right
there
because I was kinda aware that he might be
little uneasy so I put the chair and open the door and call the doctor
I realize I was an easy patient and there's a lot of patients who are not easy at
all
you don't know if a chest x rays coming in or foot
or you know an ankle or are whatever so you have to have all that
information in your brain at all times. Students like Mike
Excel because they can retain all the information and they're ready
for whatever comes through the door. Since I've been sick and I'll
little more aware than most people would be about people's illnesses
way you know I am about empathize with them a little bit, it gives me
more pleasure to help somebody out who is sick.
His outgoing personality has given him quite the reputation with his patients
at the clinic
They call me Patch Adams of X-ray, some people say
I wasn't aware that I was gonna get an xray with the comedian
so I'd really like
cracking them up. Mike enjoys making the best of the situation
any way he can when he found out about Camp Oasis
a week-long event established by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of
America
he couldn't wait to become a counselor for kids suffering with the same type of
condition.
They want to go to a place where they feel comfortable where they don't have to
worry about
Crohn's disease as a title
and they can just kick back and be normal kids. In 2011
Mike got some ink as a permanent reminder of how far he's come
I didn't want a, just a Bulls tattoo, and a Crohn's tattoo, so I thought
I'd get a combo of the two so my best friend designed it for me
and put the ribbon, the Crohn's ribbon on the left side and it says
fight like a Bull, that's what you have to do when you have Crohn's.
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