Lights, camera, tell your story!

Most people remember 2016 as an Olympic year or the time of historic Brexit vote. However for me it was the year my life turned upside down. At almost 14, I wasn't growing. I wasn't gaining weight, my hair was thinning, and I was often having stomach pains. In the summer of 2016, I had a range of tests including a regular blood check for allergies, due to my sensitivity of dust and hay fever. The results immediately showed more than just allergies. They also highlighted high inflammation which was abnormal so I was recommended to a Gastroenterologist who then completed multiple tests: MRI, Ultrasound, Colonoscopy and an Endoscopy.

After being in denial and believing the tests would come back negative for any type of bowel disease, shock came when the doctor diagnosed me with Crohn's Disease. I cried; I was upset; I didn't know what to think. I worried that it would limit my life massively. Only now, 4 years on, can I say that Crohn's has made my life better in so many ways. For example, having the diagnosis has enabled me to manage my symptoms both from a mental and physical perspective, it has made me stronger and more focused and I now know what to eat and not to eat. As it happens, most of the food that I am not allowed to eat, I did not like anyway!

Early on in my Crohn's journey, I was on a liquid diet to try and get my condition under control. At that time, I was in Year 9 which meant that I had to take the drinks to school to have throughout the day. I felt quite embarrassed and I decided to keep it a secret from my friends. In hindsight, this was one of the worst decisions I made in my journey to remission. I would be faced with questions constantly: "Why don't you come to lunch with us?" or "Why are you always drinking health shakes?".

Only after many months of encouragement and support from my family did I decide to gradually tell friends about my situation. As the months turned to years, I found that each time I told someone, it got easier and, to my surprise, everyone was supportive.

Today, having successfully completed my GCSEs, I am studying for my A levels and I continue to immerse myself in social engagements which I never thought would be possible when I was first diagnosed.

I am also thrilled to have just released my first documentary. After almost four years of living with the condition, I decided that now was the time to help others, specifically those who had recently been diagnosed with Crohn's, by sharing my story. Being a budding filmmaker, I decided to do this through a short film. I spent the last 8 months scriptwriting and creating a piece which would educate people about Crohn's and my road to remission whilst also hopefully inspiring others to speak out about their condition too.

Having a YouTube channel when I was younger meant that I had unknowingly documented my progression throughout my various treatments. By placing clips of these throughout my documentary, I could show the impact that Crohn's has had on my body and how treatment had allowed me to improve physically and not just mentally.

This was the last step in making my condition public. After telling my closest friends and family, I finally told the world. After the release I received so many messages of support and have been contacted by many living with Crohn's or Colitis, telling me how this piece has really helped them. I could not have been happier with the response.