Dear all,

as many of you may know 2009 has been the hardest year I have had to deal with to date. This has been due to two diseases Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Ulcerative Colitis. In 2010 we are going to complete a 2500 mile sponsored bike ride to raise money for both these charities. Our goal is £2500 for each charity (a total of £5000).

 

My Story

At the beginning of this year to my knowledge I had no major medical conditons however, that soon changed. After celebrating the beginning of a new year in London with my close family the next day I went and saw my GP in the Fakenham surgery. Things went progessively downhill from there onwards as I went straight into the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. At first glance the junior doctor who first saw me said "I can't see anything wrong with you I am sure you will be home tomorrow." I wish to this day that those words were true. Since then I have been taken into hospital by ambulance 5 times and twice more by car. During my first stay in January I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis.

Ulcerative Colitis is inflamation of the bowel which can be very minor and just a flare up only once every few years or it can be the other end of the spectrum which is sadly where I ended up. All of the hospital trips so far have been due to this particular disease. For me personally I could cope with the running to the toilet 12 times per day but the pain was so excessive that most the time I in hospital I was heavily dosed on morphene and the final straw was landing up on the hospital bathroom floor unable even to be touched without screaming in pain. What seemed like an hour after the doctor came and injected me with yet more morphene I was able to be mostly carried the 5 feet to my bed. At this point despite all the 38 tablets I was taking daily a more extreme measure was required. The only known cure for Ulcerative Colitis is having the colon removed and having a stoma instead. On January 1st 2009 I went in for the 3hr surgery and had the colon removed. I remember waking up and Mum asking "how do you feel?"

"A bit gutted" was the response although now the pain control team had added Ketamine to the mix as well at the morphene. For the next 2 weeks the only thing I could manage to eat was soft boiled sweets. In this time I had a blocked gut twice and vomited 10 litres of fluid. This was the worst time I have ever had in my life and I hope it is never repeated. After my release 2 weeks post - operation I was taken in by ambulance twice more and since that final release I have remained away from being an in-mate.

 

Where and when are we going?

Due to baby on the way the ride length has been reduced to 1000 miles still going through England, Scotland and Wales and the Famous Lands End and John O'Groats. Although the final dates are yet to be finalised we are planning to complete the trip in May 2011

  

How far is it?

1000 miles

 

Who is doing It

Matthew Durke, Fakenham, Norfolk and Dan Critchley, Hollington, Derbyshire

  

Why are we doing this bike Ride?

So far my experience has been with the Ulcerative Colitis however, that is the less serious of the two illnessess. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis is potentially much more serious as it is progressive and sadly the only known cure for this illness is a liver transplant. I have a 1 in 5 chance of liver failure which as at 19 years old is something quite hard to come to terms with. This is where the bike ride comes in. All of the money donated goes to these charities not one penny is being spent on us or our equiptment we are funding that ourselves. Every penny counts towards both of these causes and if you feel you dont want to donate then perhaps you would consider becoming an organ donor so that people such as myself, who may die without a donor, can live a full and happy life. I have never seriously drunk alcohol in my life and yet my liver is slowly failing so please help me and my cousin Dan Critchley raise money and awareness for both the NACC (National Association of Colitis and Chrones disease) and the PSC Support.

Thank You

Matthew Durke

 

 

 

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