Steven's page
Steven Holness is raising money for Crohn’s & Colitis UK
Story
Hello
Thank you for viewing my sponsership page for the 2018 London Marathon
Many of you will have kindly sponsered me for last year's London Marathon, where I raised an amazing £6000 for Crohn's and Colitis UK.
I know I'm asking you to sponser me again, but the fight goes on and funds are always needed.
Firstly, for those who don't know, a bit of information:
WHAT ARE CROHN'S and COLITIS?
Crohn’s Disease and Colitis are conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive system or gut. They are both chronic conditions. This means that they are ongoing and life-long, although there may be periods of good health (remission), as well as times when symptoms are more active (relapses or flare-ups).
Crohn’s is a very individual condition – the symptoms vary from person to person.
The symptoms range from mild to severe and can change over time, too. However, the most common are:
Abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Tiredness and fatigue
Feeling generally unwell or feverish
Mouth ulcers
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Anaemia (a reduced level of red blood cells)
There are various treatments, from many different medications to surgery if necessary.
WHY THIS CHARITY?
I was diagnosed with Colitis in my early 20's. I kept it mainly under control with various medication and treatments. If things got bad, occasional steroids seemed to do the trick.
My condition was re-diagnosed as Crohn's Disease in my early 30's.
However in the last 2-3 years things have got much worse for me.
I've been on various medicines and treatments but the symptoms are pretty constant. It's very difficult with my job. I've sadly got used to conducting shows in excrutiating agony, and running to the loo between filming takes!
During the past year, I’ve started a new drug called Infliximab, or Remicade. Its administered intravenously every 6-8 weeks and is incredibly strong. It was actually reclassified from a chemotherapy drug.
Unfortunately it has many many side affects. For those of you who have seen me scratching a lot, that’s the treatment making me itchy. For those of you who have seen me squinting, that’s the treatment. It makes my eyes incredibly light sensitive. I have a horrible rash around my neck which can be incredibly painful and which won’t go away.
There are numerous other side affects...extreme fatigue, dizziness, confusion, forgetfulness, mood swings to name a few... And I've been told that this is my last chance before surgery, so it has to work.
I take other drugs with this, and recently had to immediately stop one as the enzyme levels in my Liver were dangerously high....I had to wait for my Liver to repair itself before I could go back onto this drug...and whilst off it, my Crohn's got worse....It's a never ending battle to get the right balance that works for me. And many people are having the same battle, but we are able to because of charities like this who constantly fund research and support for sufferers.
As you can imagine this can make life quite tough....and especially it makes training tough. So why do I do it? I LOVE running. ....I'm not especially quick, athletic or fit....but I LOVE it. I've had bad experiences....using leaves for an emergency mid-run loo visit because the park toilets didn't have any loo paper! Running a half marathon with terrible, painful stomach cramps....but I LOVE running and I won't be beaten. It's actually my guts I worry about before any run....never the run itself, that's always secondary! But I LOVE it, and can think of no better way of putting my love of running to good use.... to run another London Marathon for this great charity.
Last year was my first marathon....I've done a lot of running since then and I pretty much describe myself as a "runner"...but that doesn't mean it's easy...I now know the training regime ahead, and it frankly fills me with dread and misery!! But I'm someone who loves to push themselves, it's what drives me, and I think it's what a fulfilled life is all about. And I won't allow my medical condition to stop me doing this.
As you can see, for me it's a constant battle....and I really hope you can help me and countless others by kindly donating so we can win the battle.
Thank you xxx
Thank you for viewing my sponsership page for the 2018 London Marathon
Many of you will have kindly sponsered me for last year's London Marathon, where I raised an amazing £6000 for Crohn's and Colitis UK.
I know I'm asking you to sponser me again, but the fight goes on and funds are always needed.
Firstly, for those who don't know, a bit of information:
WHAT ARE CROHN'S and COLITIS?
Crohn’s Disease and Colitis are conditions that cause inflammation of the digestive system or gut. They are both chronic conditions. This means that they are ongoing and life-long, although there may be periods of good health (remission), as well as times when symptoms are more active (relapses or flare-ups).
Crohn’s is a very individual condition – the symptoms vary from person to person.
The symptoms range from mild to severe and can change over time, too. However, the most common are:
Abdominal pain and diarrhoea
Tiredness and fatigue
Feeling generally unwell or feverish
Mouth ulcers
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Anaemia (a reduced level of red blood cells)
There are various treatments, from many different medications to surgery if necessary.
WHY THIS CHARITY?
I was diagnosed with Colitis in my early 20's. I kept it mainly under control with various medication and treatments. If things got bad, occasional steroids seemed to do the trick.
My condition was re-diagnosed as Crohn's Disease in my early 30's.
However in the last 2-3 years things have got much worse for me.
I've been on various medicines and treatments but the symptoms are pretty constant. It's very difficult with my job. I've sadly got used to conducting shows in excrutiating agony, and running to the loo between filming takes!
During the past year, I’ve started a new drug called Infliximab, or Remicade. Its administered intravenously every 6-8 weeks and is incredibly strong. It was actually reclassified from a chemotherapy drug.
Unfortunately it has many many side affects. For those of you who have seen me scratching a lot, that’s the treatment making me itchy. For those of you who have seen me squinting, that’s the treatment. It makes my eyes incredibly light sensitive. I have a horrible rash around my neck which can be incredibly painful and which won’t go away.
There are numerous other side affects...extreme fatigue, dizziness, confusion, forgetfulness, mood swings to name a few... And I've been told that this is my last chance before surgery, so it has to work.
I take other drugs with this, and recently had to immediately stop one as the enzyme levels in my Liver were dangerously high....I had to wait for my Liver to repair itself before I could go back onto this drug...and whilst off it, my Crohn's got worse....It's a never ending battle to get the right balance that works for me. And many people are having the same battle, but we are able to because of charities like this who constantly fund research and support for sufferers.
As you can imagine this can make life quite tough....and especially it makes training tough. So why do I do it? I LOVE running. ....I'm not especially quick, athletic or fit....but I LOVE it. I've had bad experiences....using leaves for an emergency mid-run loo visit because the park toilets didn't have any loo paper! Running a half marathon with terrible, painful stomach cramps....but I LOVE running and I won't be beaten. It's actually my guts I worry about before any run....never the run itself, that's always secondary! But I LOVE it, and can think of no better way of putting my love of running to good use.... to run another London Marathon for this great charity.
Last year was my first marathon....I've done a lot of running since then and I pretty much describe myself as a "runner"...but that doesn't mean it's easy...I now know the training regime ahead, and it frankly fills me with dread and misery!! But I'm someone who loves to push themselves, it's what drives me, and I think it's what a fulfilled life is all about. And I won't allow my medical condition to stop me doing this.
As you can see, for me it's a constant battle....and I really hope you can help me and countless others by kindly donating so we can win the battle.
Thank you xxx