Darryl D. Helems was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the age of 17 and has lived with this disease for twenty years. He is employed full-time as a school psychologist in public schools and is an adjunct professor for Virginia Tech and Mary Baldwin College. He received his Ph.D. in counselor education from Virginia Tech and his Ed.S. in school psychology from James Madison University. Dr. Helems resides in Virginia with his wife and their two sons.