2014 will for me be the year I discovered that a wonderful man called Professor John Hermon - Taylor  had dedicated his life and career to solving the puzzle that is Crohn's Disease.  Once I became aware of his work and the long road he had taken, the research,  the science?  The up's and down's he had gone through to get us this promising vaccine,  I personally felt that not to help in this last part of a long journey would be wrong.  So I and a few family & friends took part in a firewalk to raise money for the human trials.  Boy was that scary but fun.  It dosnt stop there though, still a little way to go so it doesn't stop for me either.  In 2015 we held a Pub Fundraising day at the Sportsman Pub with over £1500 raised it was a great day.  I have also been busy selling t-shirts,  bags, bracelets and pens, all money raised going to the cause, its been a busy time. 

In May 2016  I had to have a 3rd bowel resection due to the disease, unfortunately this operation can be very dangerous and if it could go wrong it did go wrong!  I initially had an ileus, a painful obstruction of the ileum due to my bowel being paralysed after surgery!  one week after the initial operation I was back in theater for a second emergency operation because the surgery join had split and my bowel had fallen apart inside.  A temporary stoma bag was fitted and what followed was 4 days in critical care unit and 8 weeks of infection during which time I also developed a blood clot,  it was a very scary time for myself and of course my family.  This is all very typical for the sufferer of this insidious disease and the reality is, just like what  nearly happened to me,  having Crohn's disease can be fatal!  I am not Crohn's free, currently I never will be.  I will have to go through the surgery again to reverse the stoma and it is very likely that within 10 years I will have to go through it all again to remove more bowel if not sooner as the operations have left me  with complications that will no doubt need correction surgery in time, because this is life with Crohn's disease!!!

We are so close now, phase 2 of the vaccine trials will be starting very soon and work continues in the lab testing blood samples with the new MAP specific test.  Despite all the evidence putting Mycobacteria avium subspecies Paratuburculosis firmly in the frame as a potential cause of Crohn's many are still not listening, we continue to help fund the testing at Kings collage until this research is acknowledged because only then will we begin to see views change, change is coming for all who suffer this awful disease! 

Help us get the answer we have all waited for, what is the true cause of Crohn's and how do we cure it?  We believe that Professor John Hermon Taylor as answered both these questions and with your help we may consign Crohn's disease to the history books.   

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