Hi I’m Lilly, an Eighteen year old with Crohn’s Disease, who has decided to jump out an airplane to raise money for a charity that has helped me so much over the past few years. My goal is to raise £395 in order to completely step out of my comfort zone and sky dive for an amazing cause. Although this is just the required amount I would love to raise even more than that and help fund research to help more people like me.

What is Crohn’s Disease? 

Crohn’s Disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and a long-term health condition where the gut becomes inflamed. The main symptoms of Crohn's disease are diarrhoea, stomach aches and cramps, and blood in your poo. The main treatments for Crohn's disease are medicines that reduce inflammation in your gut and stop it coming back. Some people need to have surgery. The exact cause of Crohn's disease is unknown. It's been linked to things like your genes and a problem with the immune system.

My Crohn’s Story:

During the beginning of 2021 I started to feel unwell and noticed my more frequent trips to the toilet. I started loosing weight and my appetite completely changed. At first we assumed this was just stress from lockdown, but after a while we noticed it was more severe and decided to get some medical advice. My first colonoscopy happened in August that year and we were told it was suspected Colitis. I was put on a course of steroids but none of my symptoms seemed to improve and so it was back to square one. It was then MRI, followed by an Endoscopy, more Colonoscopies and even a couple of Pill cameras but they couldn’t seem to work out what was wrong and why steroids were not working. I ended up in A&E after an increased dose of one medication and my illness began to take a serious toll on my mental health. My family noticed how much weight I was loosing and how much I was struggling to eat so we kept battling for more hospital appointments. But after some bloods and a stool sample taken in October 2022 the doctors were able to confirm I did in fact have Crohn’s disease. It has definitely been a far from easy ride and some days are easier than others but I continue to battle my way through life, university and my job. Some say I do too much considering what I have to deal with and hardly give myself a break but the truth is I find so much enjoyment in making others happy and doing things for people.

Thank you to those who have read my waffle, but I would absolutely love and appreciate if you could donate something to this JustGiving page in order to support such a wonderful charity. It does not have to be a lot and every donation no matter how big or small it will mean the world to me.

Thank you so much

Lilly 🫶💜✨