Sammie Brown is a self-proclaimed "poo lady" and proud of it.
The 23-year-old endured a childhood plagued with illnesses before finally being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis nine years ago.
Her stretch of illnesses came to a head when she was just 14 years old.
"I was a sick child," Ms Brown said.
"My mum got really stressed, she called an ambulance because there was some blood in my poop.
"And so began a long and intense amount of procedures to find out that I had ulcerative colitis."
From that initial diagnosis began another long path of treatments.
One thing she wasn't ready for, however, was the stigma she'd face.
"But even having an answer, it still sucked," she said.
"I was that one weird kid that had poop problems. And there is such a massive stigma on anything to do with poop."
Can I afford to be sick?
Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can cause ulcers and inflammation in the large intestine, resulting in redness, swelling and pain.
According to Crohn's and Colitis Australia, there are 100,000 people in Australia with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease (another type of IBD), a number that is expected to rise.
Medication helps ease Ms Brown's symptoms, but she can't always afford it.
She's been hospitalised multiple times after missing her medication in an attempt to "stretch" her dosages.
"I am not a rich woman. I live on a very modest income," she said.
"I would put off taking my medication to make it last longer for a while, which then led to a long series of not remembering to take my medication."
That resulted in a string of hospital admissions and agony-filled days.
It also led to a new role for Ms Brown.
The accidental advocate
A self-penned story on her experience for her local newspaper in Horsham, Victoria, sparked a string of interviews and national media attention.
Tales of her plight reached parliament and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which took notice.
"Sammie Brown was a compelling and influential example of just how the affordability crisis was hitting many patients throughout Australia," a guild spokesperson said.
"Her narrative put a human face on the crisis and she articulated her dilemma clearly and helped many policymakers and other Australians better understand the plight of so many fellow Australians."
Following her stint down media street, the Commonwealth government reduced the general co-payment on subsidised medicines from $42.50 to $30.
The guild is pushing for that to be reduced even further, noting a saving of $36 million on PBS medicines in Australia in January and February this year.
Ms Brown hopes her story can be about more than saving money.
"Don't be afraid to get out of the house – it's good for you," she said.
"Just don't let it [ulcerative colitis] control you. It controlled me for 10 years and it sucked.
"I can proudly say that I am an advocate for medication prices and for the awareness of ulcerative colitis and Chron's disease."
