Turning Pain Into Purpose: How Scott Cares Is Helping Fund the Search for a Cure

Earlier this year, Nashville-based Scott Insurance employee owner Elba McCullough submitted a nomination to the Scott Cares Foundation on behalf of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. The request was more than a charitable gesture. It was a tribute to a journey her family has lived for more than a decade, one carried by her daughter, Shayla.

Shayla McCullough was six years old when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition with no known cure. In the years that followed, she endured multiple hospitalizations, a series of treatment changes, and, at age eleven, an emergency surgery that required a colostomy bag for ten months. In her own words:

“At 11 years old I was in the hospital again and I had to have a colostomy bag for 10 months. I think I’m doing so much better. I mean, I’m currently in remission and I haven’t had any bad flare-ups since.”

Throughout her treatment, one constant remained: music. A violinist since early childhood, Shayla found in her instrument a source of stability that the disease could not diminish.

“Music does bring me a lot of comfort. It really helps me take my mind off of some of the struggles that this disease has thrown at me.”

Last November, Shayla volunteered to perform at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Benefit Gala. Her story so moved the event’s organizers that they invited her to serve as the Foundation’s 2026 Honoree for the Tennessee Take Steps Walk, a distinction that would require her to share her story publicly for the first time.

“I’ve been blessed with this opportunity. Honestly, it’s really given me a chance to put my story out there, which is something that I never would have done when I was younger cuz I was too scared to talk about it with other people.”

Rather than simply accept the honor, Shayla organized a benefit concert of her own at Ravenwood High School’s Performing Arts Center, performing alongside fellow Vanderbilt Blair School of Music Myra Jackson Blair Scholars Vivian Nguyen, Juliette Berry, and Maven Adam. The concert raised an additional $5,000 for the Foundation.

The Scott Cares Foundation awarded a $2,500 grant to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, presented to Fundraising Director Madeline Adams and 2026 Honoree Shayla McCullough at Scott’s Nashville office. Combined with Shayla’s independent fundraising efforts, the McCullough family helped direct $7,500 toward the fight against Crohn’s disease and colitis.

Shayla and Elba’s story soon reached a broader audience. The pair were featured on WKRN’s Local on 2 news segment, where Shayla shared her experience and encouraged the Nashville community to take part in the Take Steps Walk on April 26. Her message resonated well beyond the studio:

“You could just take one good look at me and think that I’m fine and healthy, but in reality, you can never tell if somebody is struggling with Crohn’s disease, and you should just never judge a book by its cover.”

Shayla’s willingness to share her story, and her family’s commitment to transforming a private struggle into public impact, reflects precisely the kind of legacy the Scott Cares Foundation was created to support.

Want to help fund the search for a cure? Learn more about the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Take Steps Walk and how you can get involved.

Learn more about the Scott Cares Foundation.