I have decided to run the London Marathon again in 2020 and will be running for Crohn's and Colitis UK. 

Crohn's is a conditions that, come the start of 2018 I did not really know much about other than that my friend Lee was diagnosed with a mild form of Crohn’s in 2013 which affects some of his day-to-day lifestyle choices. 

At the beginning of 2018, Lee was rushed into hospital as he had a serious flare up in his Crohn’s. He had to undergo life saving colostomy surgery. At the time of the operation, due to lack of fluids etc also caused by the condition, we were told he would have a 50/50% chance of surviving. It is still not known quite what caused the flare up. Fortunately, Lee came through the operation and is now fit and healthy, however, he has had to deal with a lot of lifestyle changes in order to to prevent something similar happening again. As there is no cure for Crohn’s, with so little known about the disease, these changes are preventative at best. It is still unknown what kind of impact they will have in the future or if another flare up will occur. More recently Lee has made the decision to have surgery reversed and is living more of a 'normal' life, will still monitoring the ongoing condition.

This happening made me curious of the condition. It is still unknown what causes the disease and there is no cure. It’s currently a life long change for people that are diagnosed. Personally, I think Lee has handled all of the changes extremely well and taken them in his stride, which is testament to his character. However, it can easily be seen how the effects of such a diagnosis and surgery could have adverse effects on people, both physically and mentally due to the life long effects that the disease has. 

Over the last few years, my eyes have been opened. Crohn's and Colitis UK do great work;. They research the causes for Crohn’s, provide treatments for the disease and help and support those who have been diagnosed (which I personally know Lee has benefitted from). I would like to raise as much awareness and money as possible to support what is a really good cause. There is still so much more that can be done. 

If you are still reading, thank you. I would be very grateful if you would be able to sponsor me in running the 2020 London Marathon for Crohn’s and Colitis UK and smash my £3000 target. Every donation helps, no matter how small.

For any further information on the great work that Crohn’s and Colitis UK do, please see their website: https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/

Thank you for reading and your support, it is much appreciated! 

Olly