On Monday the 25th August we will be taking part in the Moat race at the Bishop Place Wells Moat to raise awareness and hopefully some funds for our friend Ollie.

Ollie was diagnosed with Crohns Disease at the age of 8, although he showed signs from the age of 2. It was a long and difficult road to diagnosis which came after he suffered with a bowel blockage and Sepsis, we were extremely lucky as we nearly lost him. CICRA have been an amazing support to both Ollie and his family since his diagnosis in 2018. They offer family information days which allowed Ollie to meet other young children with IBD and his parents to meet with other parents and health professionals. They also provided information for his school and friends to support them in understanding his symptoms and allowances that need to be in place.

As his friends we cant spend as much time with him as we’d like because often he’s too tired maybe unwell or sometimes in hospital. We want to do this to help Him as much as possible and show that we care.

Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. It can affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—from the mouth to the anus—but most commonly involves the end of the small intestine (ileum) and the beginning of the large intestine (colon).

Key Features:

Chronic and relapsing: Symptoms often come and go, with flare-ups and periods of remission.

Common Symptoms:

Abdominal pain (often in the lower right abdomen)

Chronic diarrhea which sometimes contains blood and constipation

Fatigue and weight loss

Fever

Reduced appetite

In children: delayed growth and puberty

Possible Complications:

Intestinal blockage (due to scarring and narrowing)

Fistulas and abscesses

Malnutrition (due to poor absorption)

Increased risk of colon cancer over time

Causes & Risk Factors:

The exact cause is unknown, but it likely involves a combination of genetic predisposition, immune system dysregulation, and environmental triggers.

Treatment:

There is currently no cure, but treatment focuses on controlling inflammation, relieving symptoms, and preventing complications. This can include a liquid only diet, steroids, Biological either self injected or via IV in hospital.

Ollie has been on the liquid diet which was a formula called modulen for 8 weeks and no food, he has also had steroids. He currently has infliximab infusions in hospital every 4 weeks as well as vitamin B12, Vitamin D drops and azathioprine daily.