My love of books started when I was a little girl, I read constantly. When I was older, I ended up studying English in Reading and eventually became an English teacher. I taught English in a school in South Oxfordshire for ten years and then moved on to a long career working in different capacities with children with special educational needs.
To this day, I love books and there are still bookcases heaving with them in my house. I have two children and three grandchildren and have always enjoyed reading with them as well. I always dreamed of writing a book.
Along with my love for reading is my love for travel and I have travelled extensively keeping journals of some of my trips from around the world. I have visited Australia, South-East Asia, North, Central and South America and South Africa, to name but a few. But travel has not come without challenges due to living with Crohn’s. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 1983, having been ill for several years prior to this, although no one seemed to know what was wrong with me. I was in my twenties, a single parent of a two-year-old and in a full-time teaching job. It was only when I literally collapsed and got rushed into hospital that my illness was discovered. When the doctor confirmed the diagnosis, I had no idea what it was.
What followed were several months of hospitalisation, drug treatment and finally a resection of a large part of my small bowel. When I returned from hospital, I couldn’t even pick up my little girl or return to work for some time.
Jo
Since that time, not a day has passed when I haven’t thought about my Crohn’s, my invisible “friend” as I like to call it. I have been in hospital so many times that I have lost count, usually admitted in severe pain with suspected blockages. I have had steroids, X-rays, morphine, drips, and cameras down my throat and up my bottom. I have been prescribed drugs I couldn’t tolerate and had to stop taking.
I have tried all manner of diets: vegetarian, dairy free, you name it, I’ve tried it and there is a long list of food that can put me in hospital within hours. For someone with a passion for food, that has been quite difficult!
However, I made up my mind early on that I was going to not let this condition define my life in a negative way. Life is short and my mantra is to make the most of every moment. And that is why I decided to travel the world.
Jo celebrating New Year's Eve in Bali
I’ve spent two summers volunteering with street children in Costa Rica and Ecuador. I have volunteered with elephants in Thailand and built a house in Cambodia. A few years ago, I undertook a challenge climbing at high altitude in the Lares Valley and then to Machu Picchu and also conquering three peaks in Transylvania to raise money for research into Crohn’s Disease.
But it is not always easy. My fingers are always firmly crossed because if I am not near a hospital I could be in serious trouble, not to mention severe pain. In Madagascar for example, I got so sick I could not leave my hotel room. Luckily a doctor came and treated me, even using a coat hanger for a makeshift drip and I survived the ordeal and continued with the trip.
In Switzerland, due to complications and misunderstandings about food, I often just ended up going to bed hungry.
My advice to others who have a chronic or invisible condition is to carry a letter translated into the language of the country you are travelling to explaining what your condition is and what needs to happen if you get sick and need to be in hospital.
I always carry my medication in my hand luggage and carry information about the drugs in case questioned. I also would advise to always carry spare clothes, wet wipes, lots of toilet paper and hand sanitiser for emergencies. (I am sure people with Crohn’s and Colitis always do this anyway).
I am also not afraid to share information with fellow travellers so that they are aware if I need to stop a bus to go to the toilet behind a bush. That’s why, once I started to travel more, I also began to write blogs about it to raise awareness of Crohn’s and money to help fund research into this condition.
The main reason for writing my book is because I would like to share my story, to help others living with Crohn’s or Colitis. I would like to offer hope about the kind of life that can be possible when dealing with a chronic and incurable illness. It can still be an adventurous and exciting life with the right planning and knowledge. That is why I call it “my invisible friend”. Without it I might not have done all of these things. You can order my book here.
Jo with her book
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