Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'll preface my story by giving a brief explanation of what Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is. Inflammatory bowel disease is the name usually used to describe Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis. It is an incurable chronic condition which causes inflammation (in the form of ulcers) along various parts of the gastrointestinal tract which results in severe abdominal pain, fatigue and various other unfortunate symptoms; not to mention the emotional stress that comes with having a chronic condition. These two diseases are very similar with the main distinction being Crohn's can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract, whereas Colitis is limited to the colon. Roughly 1 in 250 people in the UK suffer from a form of IBD.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when I was 12 years old and I had a  pretty rough time of it. I had to be in and out of hospital getting various different treatments and I even developed osteoporosis, as a result of the medication (which I discovered by fracturing a vertebrae by simply skipping a step going down some stairs). Because of these things I effectively had to drop out of school in 3rd year with pretty much no qualifications. I was lucky however, eventually the medicine started to work after a few years and when I was 18 I immediately took advantage of my new found health and endeavoured to get myself an education. I was able to catch up with what I missed in school at college and I'm now 22 and in my second year of a degree in Chemistry at university.

I've been fortunate enough to find a treatment plan that has enabled me to live a "normal" life, with occasional periods of illness, but for a lot of IBD sufferers this is not the case. This is where charities like Crohn's and Colitis UK come in; they provide vital support to patients and the families of people who suffer from IBD and are key to raising awareness and understanding. Not to mention the funding they provide researchers to discover the cure / new treatments.

I decided to make this page because I feel like I'm in a place in my life right now where I can give back and this is something I can do that I know a lot of people will get a kick out of - most of my friends have never even seen me without a fringe.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.