Thanks for taking the time to visit this page. As some of you know I was meant to be running the Marathon in 2020 before a certain pandemic led to cancellation after most of my training was completed. Thankfully I had already raised £3000 by that point, money which was passed through to the charity for them to continue their great work. If you donated in 2020 then thank you once again...although hopefully you may feel inclined to donate again...! 

So why Crohn's and Colitis? Growing up, I have witnessed first-hand the life changing effects that living with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) can have. When I was in my early-teens my Mum was diagnosed with severe and chronic UC. For those who may not be aware of the disease, UC is an inflammatory bowel disease that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in your digestive tract. Put simply, the ulcers stop the inflamed colon from working properly which results in very frequent bowel movements, diarrhoea, abdomen cramps and swollen joints (to name a few). Having little control over bowel movements can have a crippling effect on mental health as often sufferers are effectively left housebound or suffering from anxiety.

There is currently no cure for the disease and treatment can vary from medication such as steroids to try and control the inflammation, to surgery resulting in the removal of the colon and use of a stoma bag. In the past 15 years I have witnessed how far treatment and medication for this disease has already advanced. My mum now has an element of control with managing her disease, which has allowed her to enjoy a much improved quality of life and the freedom to leave the house with far less worry. Although I have focused on Colitis, Crohn's effects the lives of young and old in a similar way, which is why it is essential that charities such as C&C continue to receive vital funding to invest into research, training and improving health care services. To put some perspective on numbers, 500,000 people live with Crohn's or Colitis in the UK.