Kristen Kitzler

2007 Ina Brudnick Award Recipient - South Region

Kristen would like to inspire others by letting them know that “with self-confidence and courage you can overcome all obstacles and achieve whatever you want.”

Kristen Kitzler was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of seven, and since that time has undergone two ostomy procedures.

After having her second ostomy in the fifth grade, Kristen started playing volleyball, which she says became her “passion.” By the seventh grade, she was on the varsity team. By the time she was 15, she was a two-time southern region volleyball champion and captain for her team two years in a row. Eighteen-year-old Kristen is also a member of the Girl Scouts, where she recently received the Gold Award, the highest honor awarded in the organization; a member of the National Honor Society; and secretary of the Key Club. After completing college, Kristen wants to become a pediatric nurse and work in the hospital with cancer patients and children with an ostomy.

Feeling as though she has beaten this disease by taking it by the ropes and not letting it control her life, Kristen would like to inspire others by letting them know that “with self-confidence and courage you can overcome all obstacles and achieve whatever you want.”