Trekking 2675 miles to raise money for children with IBD

Thank you for visiting our website. Any money raised from walking the Pacific Crest Trail will be shared between Crohn’s in Childhood Research Association (40%), Crohn’s and Colitis UK (20%) and the Gastroenterology Unit, Bristol Children’s Hospital (40%).

I am a Paediatric Gastroenterology Consultant at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children caring for very sick children, the large majority of whom have Crohns and Colitis (Inflammatory Bowel Disease).    My husband, Stuart Harris and I are taking time off work this year to undertake a wilderness walk in America called the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and whilst doing this have decided to raise funds and awareness to help children with Crohn’s or Colitis. We shall be very grateful if you will sponsor us by making a donation and following us on our challenging journey.  Some children with Crohn’s and Colitis are well controlled, albeit on regular medications, but others are very sick and have to cope with very stressful situations frequently embarrassing. Symptoms include, pain, diarrhoea, sickness, lethargy, lack of growth.   They undergo intrusive diagnostic procedures and often need long term medication with unpleasant side effects, some needing operations requiring a stoma (bag formation).   Their lives are severely affected and it is difficult for the family to lead a normal life, requiring emotional support as well as physical. Some of my patients need to stay in hospital for up to a year!   Stuart and I will start the Pacific Crest Trail at the border of America and Mexico and aim to end up at the American border into Canada, the end of the trail.  We will pass through the American States of California, Oregon and Washington. In total, it is a 2675 mile trip and we will be entirely dependent on carrying our own tent, water and food supply for up to 5 days at a time, carrying up to approximately 60 pounds before we reach any form of small town. We will have to be careful of the wild animals particularly bears who can smell food a good 20 miles away as well as having to deal with scorpions and other sorts of nasty insects. It will be a huge personal undertaking both physically and mentally. We anticipate that it will take 6 months to complete the trail all being well. Unfortunately, I can only have time off work for 3 months whilst Stuart is counting on completing the trail in 6 months.  I plan that the monies raised will be shared amongst the 2 charities: CICRA (Crohn’s in Childhood Research Association) (40%) and CCUK (Crohn’s & Colitis UK) (20%) and my department (40%) to help raise money to improve the care of patients with IBD. CICRA is the only charity in the UK specifically for research and support into paediatric IBD. It was first set up by parents of children affected by Crohn’s disease in 1978 but also includes children with Ulcerative colitis. The charity mostly helps support the training of doctors in paediatric gastroenterology by providing monies for research fellow training programmes and funding for innovative and new scientific research programmes including PhD students. They also help support families by producing various easy to understand literature, telephone contact and website information (www.cicra.org ). Crohn's and Colitis UK (the working name of the National Association for Colitis and Crohn’s Disease) provide a range of literature, telephone contact and support for all ages. They fund research and are very active in seeking better conditions for patients with IBD.   They also have a welfare fund (www.nacc.org.uk) to which young people in need can apply for a small grant.  I hope to raise around £10,000.  

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