I was first diagnosed with Severe Ulcerative Colitis during the first year of my GCSE’s. This is a long-term condition in which your bowl becomes inflamed and ulcerated. I was rushed to hospital after being misdiagnosed many times and with my heart rate at 12. I was lucky to make it through the night. The months that followed seemed long and tiring as I tried to build up muscle to walk again or simply sit in a classroom and listen for an hour. The doctors told me I probably wouldn’t be able to complete my GCSE’s as I had missed so much but determinedly I studied hard at home to achieve several GCSE’s at a high grade; something I’m hugely proud of.

My next major trip to hospital came in the first year of my A Levels. I was discharged after a week, as despite the pain, they couldn’t find anything wrong. A couple of months later, I was rushed back into hospital where they found severe bleeding in the bowl. This was mentally exhausting for me. The numerous amounts of medication and body changes made it hard to cope and I feared that I would never feel normal again. There were days when I wouldn’t be able to leave the house or my Mum would have to come home and help me wash my hair as I was too exhausted to lift my hands above my head. 

This was when I met Jake. Jake came to my bedside every day in hospital after work for a ‘chat’. He’d help my mum and bring up changes of clothes and numerous treats to make me smile. There wasn’t a day he ever said he couldn’t make it or that he was busy. In the months following my discharge, he’d take me out for dinner and understand if I needed to leave early or fall asleep on the way home. I would receive treatment every so often where I would go into hospital for the day to have a drip attached to me and medicine pumped in. This was exhausting work but if Mum couldn’t make it, Jake would. 

Since then, there has been a few bumps in the road but I have managed to stay out of hospital in the long-term. I now carry needles and inject myself with medicine. This has allowed me to leave home and go to University. Me and Jake have also been island-hopping in Croatia with our backpacks and have loved every moment. Now, we have decided to run the Brighton Marathon together and this is something I have always dreamed of doing. With the promise that Jake would be right beside me and a few kind words from family and friends, we are all signed up and ready to begin training. I can’t express how lucky I feel to be in a position to do this and I know it wouldn’t be possible without my incredible family and friends. You know who you are and youare the reason I am able to do this. 

See you at the finish line,

Courts (and Jake of course!)

xo