A Telford mum took part in a charity fun run last weekend to support her teenage daughter who has recently been diagnosed with the incurable Crohn’s disease.
Louise and Laura French from Sutton Heights and Louise’s mother Wyn Appleby from Little Dawley took part in the run as part of the Telford and Wrekin CultureFest 2010 at Telford Town park on Saturday.
The three were raising money for the Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity – a charity chosen because 13-year-old Laura was diagnosed with the disease earlier this year.
Louise said: “My daughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in March. It’s usually teenage when it hits but an awful lot of people have never heard of it. She’d never heard of it before she had it, and I’m a nurse and I’d never heard of it before my daughter got Crohn’s.
“We did the run to raise awareness of the condition. We’re still getting donations in, but as much as the amount of money we’ve been raising it was also to raise awareness of the condition.
“We want more research to try to get better treatment or a cure. So many people live with it and there’s no cure for it – once you’ve got it you’ve got it for life.”
Since being diagnosed Laura has been trying to get her symptoms – abdominal pain and fatigue – under control. But Louise said the doctors still hadn’t found a treatment that was working completely.
“She’s been in and out of hospital three times this year and she’s been in a lot of pain. They’re trying to get her symptoms under control,” she said.
“Laura’s missed a lot of school this year, but a lot of people don’t really know what’s wrong. It’s not something that people talk about, especially teenage girls.
“She does get very, very tired with it, but we’re trying to get better treatment. We’re still trying to get it under control. She’s not going to die but she will have to live with it for the rest of her life.
“Some days are worse than others though – on a bad day she wouldn’t have been able to walk the two miles of the fun run.”
Crohn’s disease can develop in people of all ages and causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.
Sufferers often experience abdominal pain and fatigue, and in severe cases it can lead to permanent damage of the intestines.
Although medication is available to treat the symptoms, about 80 per cent of people with Crohn’s disease will require surgery at some point to repair damage or to help alleviate symptoms.
- To find out more about the disease or to support the charity visit www.nacc.org.uk
By Pam Griffin