Life for most teenagers is filled with homework, nights out with friends and worrying about exam results.
However, by the time Ruthie Stewart was 19 years old, she had made peace with the idea of her own death after years of suffering with inflammatory bowel disease.
Aged just 15 when doctors told her she had Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, Ruthie spent most of her teenage years in and out of hospital as medics battled to bring the conditions under control.
In fact, by the time Ruthie, who lives in Ravernet outside Lisburn, finished her A-levels she had endured 18 surgeries, yet despite this, her condition deteriorated so severely she believed she wouldn’t survive.
“I thought that was it, I thought my time was up,” says Ruthie, now aged 20.
Photography by Frank Dillon
READ RUTHIE’S STORY IN THIS MONTH’S LOCAL WOMEN MAGAZINE – AVAILABLE TO BUY FROM THE SHOP OR DOWNLOAD THE APP FROM THE WEBSITE