Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My name is Christina Western, I work for my company WestMac Flooring in Taunton Somerset

I am trying to raise funds for colitis charity due to my youngest Daughter having a severe condition of colitis.

I’d never heard of colitis before, it is however a really painful condition to have. Living with ulcerative colitis isn’t always easy -- it can mean dealing with symptoms such as rectal bleeding, and finding a life-long treatment that reduces inflammation and ulcerations in the lining of the colon.

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a category of conditions that causes inflammation in the small intestine and/or colon. Ulcerative colitis strikes only in the colon -- its distinguishing characteristic from its cousin, Crohn’s disease. With UC, inflammation takes place in the lining of the colon, causing ulcers to form, and resulting in bleeding and diarrhoea. Once you know you have UC, reducing the frequency of flare-ups and finding a medication that works best for your symptoms are key next steps.

Although the cause is unknown, finding the culprit remains an important area of research, starting with genetics -- about 15% of patients with the disease have a close family member who also lived with an IBD. Stress doesn’t cause ulcerative colitis, but research shows it can increase the risk of flare-ups. “If someone isn’t sleeping because of stress and becomes ill from a viral illness, for example, that can lead to a flare because it can stimulate the immune system, which triggers inflammation, and leads to symptoms,” says Esrailian.

Their needs to be more awareness of this conditions as my daughter lives in pain most days with bleeding. She gets very tied and finds it hard to hold a job down due to the condition always flaring up. There are no disability benefits for this condition which means it’s very difficult to keep on top of your bills which then causes stress then that make Colitis flare up even more. More pain more bleeding, a vicious cycle which can lead to a major operation where  you have your bowel taken away and end up with a colostomy bag. We as a company have setup a just giving page to raise awareness of the condition and to help find a cure .

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.