Thank you for visiting my running page my name is Chris. I am running the London marathon this year for the colitis and crohn's uk charity. For most of his life my son Alfie who is now only 1 year old was suffering with very bad and painful belly ache's. He started getting them from the age of 2 months old, after many  hospital admissions and Dr's unsure of the problems he was sent for an ultrasound and colonoscopy.  This is when they realised he had Ulcerative colitis that was quite severe. This is a condition that cannot be cured but can be managed with the right medication.  Alfie now has a feeding tube to help us to give him he's medication 5 times a day and to keep up with he's milk feeds as he is unable to eat food yet. Treatment has started for him now and we are already seeing huge improvements. I have decided to run the marathon for this charity to raise awareness of this condition and to fund vital research into helping people with colitis or crohn's disease. It is a life long condition which is painful and can lead to major surgery. So please donate what you can today and help me raise awareness of this condition, the number of people being diagnosed with them is ever increasing.

Here are some important facts about crohn's and colitis.

The average age at diagnosis for children is now around 13 and more young children than ever are being diagnosed before the age of 10, including babies and toddlers. At the same time, pressure within adult IBD health services has also increased. It is estimated at least 8000 children and young people in the UK have Crohn’s, colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Many newly diagnosed patients over 16 may get referred into adult services, even though their condition can affect their adolescence. Around 8000 children every year are diagnosed with crohn's or colitis.

Being diagnosed with IBD at such a formative age can prove a huge struggle for children and teenagers. This often invisible disease impacts young lives with ripples that last long into adulthood, whether by affecting growth, education, friendships or family. The main goal in treating children with IBD is to let them grow up, go to school, and live a normal life. This relies on well-resourced health services with multi-disciplinary teams to care for them, including psychological support, dietary advice, specialist pharmacists and specialist nurses.