Hi everyone, those of you who know me will know that it’s 16 years this year since I first did the Great South Run in my day wheelchair - an event that made me fall in love with wheelchair racing. In 2019 I took the difficult decision to stop racing due to injury, not knowing what the next few years would bring. In 2022, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, a condition that has changed my life. I never know quite what I’m waking up to and pain, bleeding, and fatigue are just a few of the regular symptoms I’ve had to adjust to. I’ve also had to get used to very personal surgical procedures, as well as adjusting to taking injections every week, and planning my life around these treatments.

It’s all a lot. But one massive help in all of this has been Crohn's and Colitis UK. The support offered through their website, support guides and forums has been immensely helpful and comforting through all of this - being able to talk to people who understand, and being able to read up on the various procedures and treatments that have become a part of my life, to help ease my anxieties and understand what is going on. I honestly don’t know how I would have coped with much of this without their help.

So it’s time to give back, to ensure that more people can be supported in this way. This May I’m taking on what might be my biggest challenge ever - the biggest distance I’ve ever pushed in my day chair - as I push the 13.1 miles of the Great Manchester Run Half Marathon. It’s going to be really tough - up to now I’ve only pushed half that distance - and fatigue is still a huge part of my life. But I want to do this to give back to a charity that has helped me so much. And I want to do this for me, to show how far I have come over the last few years. Any money you can donate would be greatly appreciated, and will help me get through what is undoubtedly going to be a humongous challenge.

Thank you!

Chris

About the charity:

We’re the UK’s leading charity for Crohn’s and Colitis.

Right now, an estimated 500,000 people in the UK are living with a lifelong disease that many people have never heard of. And the real number could be almost double that.

Because of the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding these diseases, thousands of people are suffering in silence.

But they’re not alone.

We’re working to improve diagnosis and treatment, and to fund research into a cure; to raise awareness and to give people hope, comfort and confidence to live freer, fuller lives.