From volunteers to husband and wife

Lauryn Santini and David Warren before wedding ceremony
Lauryn Santini and David Warren both have Crohn’s disease, and they both wanted to support a cause that affected them. So they volunteered to help organize Martini Madness, a fundraiser in Ottawa that supports Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. They met each other at a Martini Madness planning meeting some seven years ago and struck up a friendship.

“Every year we'd spend more and more time together organizing Martini Madness and got to know each other gradually throughout the planning period for the event. We began finding excuses to work together more and more, and eventually it developed into a relationship,” says Lauryn.

And that relationship led them down the aisle in November 2017. Now as husband and wife, David and Lauryn are looking forward to the things they enjoy most and doing them together: travel, growing their businesses, and spending time with their friends and family.

Our best to these two, and to all of you this Valentine's Day. Thank you for spreading the love to everyone impacted by Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

We’re not saying volunteering with us will guarantee you a romantic relationship, but you will get to meet some great people in your community who are dedicated to giving back and helping everyone taking on inflammatory bowel disease. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities here.

  • Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn's and colitis in the world.
  • 1 in 140 Canadians lives with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Families new to Canada are developing these diseases for the first time.
  • Incidence of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995.
  • People are most commonly diagnosed before age 30.

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