My Story

As many of you know, Courtney and I both suffer from Crohn’s disease. I was diagnosed in 2016 and Courtney was diagnosed in 2019.

I had been ill for over a year during my A Levels before my diagnosis. Following numerous hospital stays and several treatments, I am now in remission and treated with injections every two weeks. Courtney has not been so lucky. In 2021 she had to have an emergency operation and now has a stoma.

Since my diagnosis in 2016 I have tried to spread as much awareness about Crohn's as possible. Unfortunately, many people think Crohn's is just ‘bad IBS’, but I want to quash those stereotypes. With Crohn’s, parts of the gut become swollen, inflamed, and ulcerated. This can cause pain, diarrhoea, weight loss and fatigue. Crohn’s is a lifelong condition. Right now, there is no cure for Crohn’s. However, medicines, surgery, or a combination of both can help to keep people feeling well, reduce inflammation in the gut and keep symptoms under control.

At my worst I lost 6 stone in the space of a few months and on some occasions I was going to toilet over 30 times a day. In severe cases, Crohn’s can also reduce the chances of having children. This became a real possibility for Courtney and I when following Courtney’s stoma, we were told that having children may be impossible. However, in 2025 we welcomed our daughter to the world, proving to us that miracles do exist.

Running a marathon will be a complete first for me and a huge personal challenge. However, using this opportunity to spread awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, whilst showing my daughter that anything is possible, was too good an opportunity to turn down.

My goal is to raise £2,500 for Crohn’s and Colitis UK to help them continue supporting sufferers of the disease whilst also contributing to finding a cure. Any donations and support would be extremely appreciated. I am also happy to chat with anyone who might want to find out more information about Crohn’s and Colitis UK.