Just over 2 years ago I lost my little sister, Lottie, at 23 years old, as a result of complications of Crohn's disease

She had never been ill before, having never missed a single day of school

In the space of 6 weeks, she had her first flare of Crohn's and had two emergency surgeries for it in the last week of her life. She sadly passed away during that second surgery 

It is thankfully rare for someone to die from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) nowadays, however, it sadly can still happen. And even if it doesn't, those who live with IBD often have very difficult lives, with repeated flares, severe pain, repeated surgeries and massive impacts on their day-to-day lives. 

It has taken some time for me to be ready to try and raise some money and awareness of this and I have decided to run the biggest and hardest race of my life, the London Marathon

I want to raise this money and awareness for Lottie so that others don't have to suffer as she did and we can get better and better outcomes for people living with IBD

It is a big target to reach (£2500) so please give if you can 

I am going to be training hard over the next few months, while also revising for my Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons exams. So, it's going to be hard and busy 

I also have started training to become a surgeon myself this year, with a view to becoming a specialist colorectal surgeon, in memory of Lottie 

Crohn's & Colitis UK are the UK's leading charity for Crohn's and Colitis. Right now, over 500,000 people in the UK are living with a lifelong disease that many people have never heard of. I am taking part in the 2024 TCS London Marathon to support Crohn's & Colitis UK, and your donation can help Crohn's & Colitis UK's mission to improve diagnosis and treatment; to fund research and raise awareness.