INDIANAPOLIS — Fourteen-year-old Shelbi Anderson wanted to begin her freshman year at Highland High School today.

Instead, she’s recuperating at home from ulcerative colitis surgery to remove an abscess a week ago. She left Indianapolis-based Riley Hospital for Children on Friday and may have to be homeschooled.

Shelbi said she’s worried about acquiring another infection, but she yearns for the outside.

“I just want to see my friends,” she said.

Ulcerative colitis or UC is an immune inflammatory condition that causes white blood cells to attack the large bowel or colon.

“Your white cells in the body overreact and, in the process, injure the bowel,” said Indiana University gastroenterologist Michael Chiorean. “It’s like your bowel is an innocent bystander.”

Shelbi began bleeding from the rectum when she was 9 years old. Her pediatrician thought it was caused by a tear from a softball game. However, a month passed and the bleeding recurred. Shelbi was referred to Riley Hospital, where she was diagnosed with UC. Chiorean said a combination of genetics, bacteria and one’s immunity creates the disease.

Chiorean said the advent of disease can be benign, suffering from minimal cramps, diarrhea and bleeding and possibly mature to be life threatening.

“The bowel can basically explode and you can die of a bacterial infection,” Chiorean explained.

Chiorean said Shelbi’s diagnosis at 9 is unusual.

“By having it so early, it can change in character a lot (so her symptoms can be from UC or Crohn’s disease),” he said. “It can be UC or Crohn’s disease, a similar condition that can affect the entire gastrointestinal system from esophagus to anus. With UC and Crohn’s, about two people per 1,000 in the United States are affected.”

Onset usually occurs in 20- to 30-year-olds, Chiorean said.

Early on, Shelbi picked up weight as a side effect for using Prednisone, one of the most common steroids. More recently she has taken Colazal, another type of anti-inflammatory medication safer than Prednisone, said Chiorean. Her dosages have increased as she became more immune to the medications, said Laura Anderson, Shelbi’s mother.

Since diagnosis, Shelbi’s has had an annual colonoscopy and an occasional flare-up, but excruciating stomach pains increased last school year as an eighth-grader at East Side Middle School. Frequent tardiness, absences and lower grades followed.

About a couple of months ago, Shelbi had her large colon eviscerated. Her second surgery was to remove blockage of the small colon in July.

Chiorean said removing the colon generally obliterates UC, only returning in rare cases, so having a third surgery last week reduces the chances of having a positive prognosis.

“She (Shelbi) has all the risk factors of colon cancer,” the doctor said. “If you have the disease for 30 years, your risk is four times higher than a normal individual.”

Laura hasn’t been at her job at Carbide Grinding Co. Inc. for seven weeks due to caring for her youngest child in and out of the hospital. Doctors foresee a fourth surgery within six to eight weeks and Laura will miss more days of work, the mother said.

Laura’s ex-husband, John Anderson, held a Shelbi Anderson Benefit Ride Aug. 12 to raise funds for rent, utilities, food and clothing, but the family is still in need. They have two older children, son John, 18, and daughter Ashton, 19.

The upbeat father opened a Lampco Federal Credit Union account in Shelbi’s name to reach out to the public. The main branch on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard posted fliers, making customers aware of Shelbi’s battle. John said records are kept on how the money is spent.

Although admittedly confused and tired, Shelbi seems like any other teenager.

Talking on the phone, reading magazines, updating her MySpace account and going to movies are major pastimes. And, keeping fresh manicures, too.

“They need to be redone,” said Shelbi, referring to her nails.

After high school graduation, she plans to attend Arizona State University on a full softball scholarship and study to become a doctor.

Shelbi said her frequent hospital visits spawned the interest in medicine and ASU ranks as a top 10 softball school. Despite the long-term goals she has in store, her current focus is on living healthy.

“All she wants to be is a typical teenager,” John said.