Hessiel Polanco

Hess Polanco is a patient advocate, writer, husband, and father who has been living with IBS since 2009. After years of unexplained pain and countless doctor visits, he finally got his official diagnosis in 2014, and rather than keeping that experience to himself, he decided to do something with it.

In January 2016, Hess launched his YouTube channel, Positive vIBS Tribe, to share his story and create a supportive space for others going through something similar. He wrote regularly for IrritableBowelSyndrome.net and stayed active across social media until 2021, when the responsibilities of being a dad made it the right time to step back.

A lot has changed since then, all for the better. Hess has found a rhythm that works for managing his symptoms through diet, exercise, and mindfulness. In 2024, he and his wife Ashli packed up their life in Boston and moved to Puerto Rico, where the tropical climate has been a welcome boost to his health and quality of life. He is now a proud dad to two incredibly supportive kids, a 7-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter, who have grown up understanding what it means to live with a chronic condition with grace and empathy. Together, Hess and Ashli co-founded CoPlayConnect, a family gaming platform focused on helping families turn screen time into genuine connection.

Hess has never claimed to have all the answers. What he has always offered is honesty, his real experience, and a genuine desire to make others feel less alone in theirs

Click here to read all of Hessiel's articles on IrritableBowelSyndrome.net.