In September 2023 I will taking part in the London to Brighton Cycle ride which is 55 miles (100km) long.

I am raising money for CICRA, a charity creating better lives for children with Crohns and Colitis. As many of you know this charity along with Crohn's and colitis UK are charity's held very close to my heart.

In 2020 my family entered the hardest and darkest times imaginable. My daughter Amelia started her long Journey to her diagnosis of Crohns Disease at the age of 8. This is an unforgiving disease where the bodys immune system attacks the bowel and the entire digestive system. Many people misunderstand IBD with IBS, IBD is an auto immune disease whereby your own immune system is destroying your digestive tract. Amelias journey began with many tests, from being told she may have life threatening illnesses such as cystic fibrosis to a final diagnosis in December 2020. Our hearts completly broken watching her undergo test after test, week after week with various medical procedures that no child should have to go through. Both Hannah and I have struggled emotionally and mentaly through the journey and as you can imagine broken down many times.
As a parent I can tell you I have broken down many times, with not many places to turn to or people to talk to that understand IBD. This condition not only affects the person with it but also has a huge impact on the family. Amelia is one of thousands of children with Crohns disease, each struggling day by day with symptoms not only from the condition itself but the side effects of the medication. It is unlikely Amelia will ever remember a time in her life that did not involve hospitals, blood tests, medication etc, her life has now changed forever and each day a constant reminder of the condition.

Living with IBD means she will have to take daily medication for the rest of her life, many days and nights spent in Hospitals, some more recently potentially undergoing infusions on a 8 weekly basis as well as the constant monitoring to see how effective the treatment is. Ultimately one day this could all come to a final conclusion with a stoma bag. Most recently my wife and I have had to make the difficult decision to start her on a medication that can have very serious side effects just a few to name such as liver failure, heart attacks, skin cancer ranging to hair loss, psoriasis and extreme fatigue yet we are constantly reminded by conultants via calls and emails that the benefits outway the risks and whilst the cancer risk is higher meaning Amelia will have to wear factor 50 even on dull days, sit in the shade, limit sun exposure, cover up as much as can, avoid extreme heat this is the right course for her. Living with a child or loved one with IBD is tough whether they are your child, partner, sister or parent. The majority of our days off are spent speaking to Doctors, Nurses, Hospitals, Consultants and pharmacists just to keep her care on track. It's mentally exhausting and you do feel alone.

The beginning of Amelias testing period meant living on a liquid only diet for two months, can you imagine not being allowed to eat food for that long. Amelia was extremely strong and did it but it was heartbreaking to know that your child was not allowed to eat and there you are late at night eating dinner so she doesn't see. Due to the Crohn's Amelias diet has had to significantly change. Amelia cant eat dairy, spicy food, oranges, apples etc to name a few the list goes on as it causes her to be in a lot of pain, this means she often has to watch other children enjoying ice creams and treats that she simply cant have. Can you imagine how difficult it is for a child to be at a park and watch all of the other children and adults eating ice creams and you can't as they have run out of ice lollies or don't offer dairy free of vegan alternatives. Several times we have approached an ice cream van to be told no ice lollies left and so cannot have an ice cream. This doesn't just affect Amelia but also has a huge impact on her little sister Bethany. Bethany is an amazing little sister and we couldn't be prouder of how she accepts she cannot eat certain things when Amelia is around.

Crohns Disease is life changing and can become life threatening. If a fistula develops for the erosive ulcers this could lead to sepsis, it is not something that can be contolled on diet alone and this is why I want to raise awareness and money for Charity and research into creating a better life for Children in the future with this condition. No human being, especially a child should have to go through the daily life of Crohn's disease. The money I would like to raise will provide funding for further research into the condition as well as counselling services and events for parents of children with this condition to meet up. Currently there is vital research taking place and we are hopeful there will be a cure within the next decade. Ultimately as a parent each one of us with a child with Chrohns disease have to make decisions to pump our child's body full of harsh chemicals that have very very serious health risks and the longer they on them the higher the percentage rates and will change their ability to attend school on a regular basis, having a baby without multiple consultations first due to the harm to the unborn baby, holding down a job due to the regular medication given in hospital etc.

Crohns Disease is diagnosed in approximately 5 in every 100,000 children each year. Please help me raise money for not only my daughter but other children and parents who have this debilitating condition in their lives.

All donations will go straight to CICRA

Thank you.