Mike McCready talks about Crohn's Disease

NEW YORK (Pearl jam Fans Website) - Pearl Jam's lead guitarist, Mike McCready, revealed he's been suffering from Crohn's disease for more than 15 years. The ailment strikes the intestines, resulting in inflamed and augmented bowels. The 37-year-old musician went public with his story on May 13 during a speech at the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Of America's third annual Many Faces Of Hope luncheon in Seattle.

McCready said he found the courage to go public about his condition after meeting other people with Crohn's last fall. He said, "The stories they told me were far worse than what I've experienced." McCready said he met with one 14-year-old who had gone through six operations and still wasn't cured. McCready said he wanted to go public about his condition to show that despite the disease, people with Crohn's could still have a life and a career. McCready has been in remission from the disease for about eight months. However, there is no cure for the disease and patients must take medication and monitor their diet.

McCready recalled how sometimes the disease strikes at exactly the wrong time. "Playing onstage, I'm always aware of where the bathrooms are," he said. "When Crohn's hits, I have to run, or it won't be pretty. It happened when we opened up for the Rolling Stones in 1997 in Oakland."

All of the members of Pearl Jam, who will resume their North American tour on May 28 in Missoula, Montana, were on hand for McCready's speech.