Thanks for visiting our team fundraising page for Crohn's & Colitis UK!
We've joined together to raise money for charity. You'll see our team fundraising target on the right. Your donation can really help us smash this goal!
My name is Ellen, I am 26 and I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2007 when I was 14. Since then I've been on various medications, and had countless colonoscopies and blood tests, but I managed my condition pretty well until 2016. Since then it feels like I've been in a constant flare-up. I was started on biologic treatment (through an IV) in 2017, but both Infliximab and Vedolizumab failed to tame my symptoms. In October 2018 I made the decision to have surgery rather than take part in a drug trial, because I just wanted an end to it all. UC was ruling my life - I couldn't work, couldn't plan ahead... I couldn't even leave the house. In January 2019, I had a laparoscopic sub-total colectomy with end ileostomy. My colon was removed, and the end of my small bowel pulled through the abdominal wall, so that I now have a stoma and bag to collect waste. Yup, I poop in a bag! A year ago, this was the worst case scenario. Now, I know it was the best decision I have ever made. I'm only a month post-surgery but the freedom I am already experiencing makes it all worth it. I can walk my dog again, I can sit and watch a whole film, I can go on long car journeys, and can eat ice cream and chocolate... I love my stoma and I don't ever want to go back! I took part in Walk It in 2013, and I can't wait to do it again with my friends by my side.
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