Vishal Parvani Opens up About Living with Crohn’s Disease

Vishal Parvani is sharing his experience living with Crohn’s disease. As part of an effort to raise money for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, the Family Karma cast member opened up about his own battle with the chronic condition.

In a Instagram post shared on May 11, Vishal lent his voice in support of the Crohn’s’s & Colitis Foundation by sharing a photo of himself walking down the street and holding a banner promoting the organization’s Take Steps program. The image is part of an ongoing fundraising effort for the program, taking place now through June 20.

"I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when I was a teenager... When I was first diagnosed, I was admitted to the hospital for over a month," Vishal wrote in a blog post on the foundation's website. "All I wanted was to be 'normal' like the other kids. So I made it a point to never disclose to anyone that I was struggling with this autoimmune disease. I would eat like they ate, and in college I partied like everyone else did. I was almost always in a constant perpetual flare. My body was under a lot of stress, and hiding my condition to others (and essentially denying it myself) made it worse."

Vishal went on to credit fiancée Richa for pushing him to follow a healthier diet and to be more open about his condition. "When I met Richa, she honestly whipped me into shape," he wrote, also adding, "My lifestyle changes, along with my medications, have significantly reduced my flares. Opening up about Crohn’s has been the best thing for me. Opening up has made me in control of this disease, and not the other way around."

Back in March, Vishal talked to BravoTV.com about sharing his journey with Crohn’s disease on Family Karma. “At first, I was always very reluctant about disclosing what I had," he explained at the time, later adding that he hopes to show "people out there that if you have an autoimmune disease you can still have a great quality of life."