Megan Earp is a Hudson High graduate from the class of 2022. As a high school senior, she wrote a children’s book on Crohn’s disease as her capstone project to receive the Girl Scout Gold Award (the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn). Her book has been featured in the Hudson Hub Times, the Northeast Ohio Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s August newsletter and the Seton Catholic School May 2022 newsletter.
Earp’s story, “The Big Kick,” is about a young girl named Cory with Crohn’s disease and a love of soccer. Cory begins to realize her illness is taking a toll on her, and she has to take a break from soccer for her health. After resting for a week, she rejoins her team and brings them to victory at their tournament game.
Earp claims that her life somewhat inspired the story since she has Crohn’s disease and a love for her primary sport of swimming. “The whole plot was familiar to me since she [Cory] is diagnosed, then she doesn’t want to eat as much because she can’t handle it anymore, and then she’s constantly getting weak and tired, which is something I went through. Then she gets diagnosed with a flare-up and has to rest a bit more before returning to her sport. Unfortunately, my recovery was not so simple. But other than that, everything was pretty similar to me.”Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that cannot be cured. It can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Earp’s inspiration to write a story about a main character with Crohn’s comes from not finding a story like her life experiences anywhere on library shelves.
“I was a really big reader all through grade school, and at some point, I thought about trying to find a book with a character with Crohn’s disease and chronic illness in it. I thought that since there were so many authors, there must be something, but I didn’t see any at all, which was disappointing. I feel like it’s something that a lot of people would be able to connect to and another great awareness tool that should be utilized more often. So I wanted to do a project that really meant something to me, and since I’ve been frustrated with this disease for so long, I thought writing about it would be perfect.”
This capstone project for the Gold Award required her to create something that would benefit the community. “I wanted my project to be something meaningful,” says Earp. “ I know a lot of people do projects for nursing homes and local parks and other things like that, but none of those topics were really close to my heart.” It wasn’t until her senior year that Earp finally decided on her project, but once the thought crossed her mind, she knew it was right.
Since the children’s book would be in graphic novel form, finding a dedicated illustrator to help her with the project was essential. Thankfully, one of Earp’s closest friends, Shelly Grecol (another ‘22 graduate), was willing and excited to help. “I have known Shelly since kindergarten. We got to be super good friends in high school since she was one of my grade school friends I moved up to 9th grade with. I knew she was a big art person planning on going into art, and I thought she would be perfect for the job!”
Earp was amazed by the dedication Grecol put into this project. Earp wanted a kid-friendly style that would appeal to everyone, which was precisely how the final illustrations ended up. “Within a few days of me telling Shelly I was ready to start working on the book, she had three drawing samples and four different character designs ready for me. I got to pick which one, and it ended up being perfect for the book.”
All she had to do now was write it. But that’s easier said than done for an involved AP and honors student. “ I planned to get my project done much earlier than I did, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Putting all the images and text together at the end took longer than I expected.”
After over 100 hours of individual work, Earp completed her book in the second week of May 2022.
“I was really proud when I finally finished my book. I’m hopeful that it reaches people who need it like I once did.”
She shared that some of her favorite teachers who motivated her throughout her high school years while she worked on the project were Sra. Wiehe, Mrs. Moga and Mr. Bolin. When asked about Earp, Wiehe shared that in class, “She was always creative. She embraced learning and was just a joy to have in class. It’s fitting that Megan would create a book for a good cause.”
Mr. Bolin shares, “Seeing Megan develop from a freshman to a senior as a student and a person and, most importantly, as a leader was fantastic. She was one of those people you could just tell was going to do amazing things, and she’s already done some incredible things. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes next.”
During her time at the high school, Earp was involved in a slew of activities, including volleyball, swimming, Drama Club, Speech and Debate, Academic Challenge, choir, Girl Scouts, National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society. She even once published an article in The Explorer.
Currently, Earp is a sophomore at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Earp notes that she “never escaped the cornfields.” At Purdue, she studies electrical engineering with a minor in global engineering studies. She is a part of three robotics teams, Theater Club, Archery Club, Parkour and Calisthenics Club and Swim Club.
If you would like to read her book, you can find it in the Local Author’s section of the Hudson Library or the PDF version online at thebigkick.godaddysites.com. You can also support her project’s mission by donating to other foundations raising awareness for Crohn’s, such as Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis and The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
"The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, comparable
to the Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout merit. Girls who pursue their Gold Award aspire to
transform an idea and vision for change into an actionable plan with measurable, sustainable,
and far-reaching results." (From Girl Scouts of the USA)
On June 2, 2023, Earp co-hosted a class at the Hudson Library & Historical Society to raise awareness for her chronic illness and introduce her book to the public. About 15 to 20 grade-school-aged kids attended the session. Earp and her pediatrician gave a verbal presentation, and her illustrator (Shelly Grecol) taught the kids how to draw.
The project has been featured in the Hudson Hub Times, the Northeast Ohio Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's August newsletter, the Seton Catholic School May 2022 newsletter, and, of course, The Explorer's October 2023 publication. "The Big Kick" has also been recognized by:
- The Girl Scouts of the USA
- The Executive Office of the President
- The Supreme Court of the United States
- The US Department of Health and Human Services
- The National Security Agency
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation
- US Secretary of State Merrick Garland
- US Senators JD Vance and Sherrod Brown
- Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy
- Congressman David Joyce
- Former presidents George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump
- Ohio's House of Representatives
- The Court of Appeals of Ohio
- The Cleveland Clinic
- Akron Children's Hospital
- Playhouse Square
- And dozens more!
Information from https://thebigkick.godaddysites.com/gold-award-impact.
Earp was able to publish 150 copies of her book and distribute them throughout Northeast Ohio. Here is where those books are now:
- The Ronald McDonald houses in Cleveland and Akron
- Piper's Key
- Cleveland Clinic Child Life
- Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Surgery
- Cleveland Clinic Colorectal Surgery
- The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Northeast Ohio
- The Hudson Library and Historical Society
- Seton Catholic School
- Dozens of children and their families in Ohio and surrounding states who suffer from Crohn's disease and supported the project
Information from https://thebigkick.godaddysites.com/gold-award-impact.
There are a lot of great nonprofits, but these are a few of Earp's recommended organizations.
- The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation is a national organization to support individuals with Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, together known as Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD). They do lots of great work supporting research for a cure, social efforts to reduce stigma, and political campaigns to get patients the support they deserve. Also check out their new Gut Friendly Recipes initiative, with over 500 wonderful recipes that can be filtered by diet, food restrictions, and more!
- The Ronald McDonald Foundation of Northeast Ohio supports two facilities, one each in Cleveland and Akron. They do lots of great work to keep parents near their sick kids who are in the hospital, and are staffed primarily by volunteers. They also do pop-tab drives to raise money for the families and facilities they support.
- Piper's Key is a charitable organization run out of my hometown that I found by chance. They donate inclusive children's books to kids with disabilities in memory of the founder's late daughter, Piper. Check out their awesome work and Dr. Jessica's interviews on radio and news shows!
- The Cleveland Clinic Dogs for Joy program is especially close to Earp's heart. The kids' social workers at the Cleveland Clinic support all the pediatric patients in dozens of ways, but the Dogs for Joy program is a particularly fun one. They got their first facility dog, Kid, a year or two after Earp started treatment, and he and his handler visited her during treatments and while she was an inpatient after surgery. They are certainly memorable and a fun thing to look forward to despite a hospital visit.
- Athletes VS. Crohn's and Colitis was founded by Larry Nance Jr. and Noah Weber to support young athletes with Crohn's disease or Ulcerative Colitis. Larry Nance Jr. currently plays in the NBA for the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers!). Role models for kids (especially athletic ones) with chronic illnesses can be hard to come by, so this is a spectacular national organization to support.
Information from https://thebigkick.godaddysites.com/gold-award-impact.
