LITHIA, Fla. — For 11-year-old Gavin Shreeve, there are a few important things he's focused on right now— such as family, friends, school, and his favorite subject, math.
"I just like the feeling of when you finally get the problem right, and it just like works out perfectly," he said.
But according to his mom, Christina Shreeve, Gavin has also been dealing with a much bigger problem that took them years to solve.
"We knew he had an inflammatory disease," she said.
In the end, the answer was a Crohn's disease diagnosis at age five.
"I looked at [the doctor], and I said, 'Are you talking about Gavin? Our child, Gavin?' We were in shock," said Christina.
In the time since, he's had surgeries and started infusion treatments that have put his illness into remission.
"Well, it gave him back his childhood," said Christina.
But instead of keeping that gift to himself, Gavin's family said he's also spent his time raising awareness and more than $70,000 to help others dealing with this difficult diagnosis.
"I just feel like some kids just don't know that there's hope. Some kids find out that they're diagnosed, and they're like, 'Oh. Okay. I'm just going to give up,'" said Gavin.
Gavin's work was also recently recognized by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. They gave Gavin the first ever 'It Takes Guts' awardearlier this month, much to his shock.
"It definitely feels different than what most 11-year-old kids would be doing," he said.
But "guts" are exactly what his family said is needed to weather a journey like his—especially for parents who may still be searching for a proper diagnosis.
"Trust your gut. Don't give up. And moms know. You know when something is not right," said Christina.
