Tyler James Williams is done suffering in silence. The “Abbott Elementary” star is now the face of AbbVie’s “Beyond a Gut Feeling” campaign, using his platform to help others recognize the signs of Crohn’s disease before it’s too late.
“I’ve been looking for a real actionable way to tell my story, my IBD journey,” Williams told People. “Because I felt like things happened with me that didn’t necessarily need to.”
Diagnosed with Crohn’s at 22, Williams now realizes his symptoms started years earlier.
“I spent a portion of my life and career in wild amounts of discomfort and pain,” he says, explaining how a lack of awareness led to delayed treatment.
His condition spiraled to the point where he required three surgeries in one year.
“There’s a unique type of depression that comes with, ‘I’m the only one going through this,’” Williams shares. “I was in a really dark place.”
Today, he’s in remission and focusing on wellness, diet, and open communication with his doctors.
“It took a while to get here,” he says. “And it’s a beautiful place to be now.”
Now, he hopes to be the face that helps others recognize what they’re going through. “I hope that somebody can hear the word Crohn’s disease from their gastroenterologist one day and go, ‘Oh, that thing that Tyler James Williams has.’”
He adds, “There will be days that are very, very hard, but you’ll be all right.”
