TLDR: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can be a debilitating condition that significantly impacts people's quality of life. Help fund research for types of IBD that are too uncommon to attract conventional funding by donating to the Hard To Fund Fund.

Please see the "IMPORTANT" section at the bottom of the page.

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Dear Friends and Family,

2.5 years ago Kunal was hospitalised with acute pain in his lower abdomen. While in hospital, he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC), a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Although there is no cure for UC, there are now treatments available that eliminate the majority of its symptoms. Thanks to the marvel of modern medicine, Kunal is doing great today but not everyone with IBD is as fortunate.

What Is IBD?

IBD describes a group of inflammatory conditions that impact the digestive tract. It is a complex disease and the reasons why it occurs are not well understood. What we know is that there is a strong genetic component which, when combined with a multitude of environmental factors such as stress, sleep and diet, cause the body’s immune system to attack itself.

Physical symptoms of IBD include severe abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue. However, the most debilitating aspects of the disease involve dealing with the psychological impact of chronic pain and the anxiety associated with sudden flare ups. Living with IBD often means being unable to participate in activities that are the most significant contributors to quality of life such as work, travel and social events.

The most common forms of IBD are Crohn’s disease (CD) and UC. They are both fairly prevalent, with incidence heavily concentrated in developed countries. CD and UC, combined, occur in close to 1% of the UK and US populations.

How Can I Help?

Since the UC and CD populations are of significant size and concentrated in high income countries, there is a strong incentive for the private sector to pursue research related to these forms of IBD. As a result, the quality of treatments for UC and CD have steadily improved over the past 30 years with revolutionary treatments introduced every decade.

There are, however, other, rarer forms of IBD which do not respond to the treatments prescribed for UC and CD. Due to their low rates of prevalence, and, in many cases, the lower income populations they impact, it is not economically feasible for the private sector to develop treatments for these less common forms of the disease.

We believe that this case of market failure presents the most compelling opportunity for IBD related philanthropy. By funding early stage research that focuses on the forms of IBD ignored by the private sector, you can help close the funding gap and make treatment development more economically viable.

Who Gets My Money?

The money you donate will go to the Hard to Fund Fund (HTFF), a new fund created by Bowel Research UK (BRUK) that is dedicated to researching bowel diseases and conditions that struggle for backing from conventional funding mechanisms.

None of the money you donate will be used to cover the fund's marketing or administrative expenses. 100% will go towards research grants.

Why BRUK?

Aside from the fact that BRUK administers the HTFF, while in hospital, Kunal was treated by a doctor who was a BRUK grant recipient. We are both extremely grateful for the care he received and feel that working with BRUK is a great way to acknowledge that.

For those of you who choose to donate, we thank you immensely for your generosity.

Yours Sincerely,

Kunal and Felicia

IMPORTANT

Just Giving adds a "tip" when you enter your donation amount. The "tip" goes to Just Giving and not BRUK.

You can set the "tip" amount to 0 but it is not obvious how to do so.

You cannot do it using the slider.

Instead click the "Enter custom amount" link and manually enter 0.

If you are having issues donating through Just Giving, try donating via bank transfer instead:

Payee: Bowel Research UK

Bank Name: Unity Trust Bank

Account Number: 20420631

Sort Code: 60-83-01

IBAN: GB72UYTB60830120420631

You can also donate directly via BRUK's website:

https://www.bowelresearchuk.org/get-involved/make-a-donation/