Hi I’m Michael. 

In 1996 I was first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I was 13, an age where life as a teenager was already confusing, let alone having a bowel condition added to the mix. I was scared, embarrassed and in a great deal of pain. I kept my illness hidden from my friends, after all how do you tell someone that you bleed every time you poo. There were occasions when I struggled to hide what was going on, such as the length of time I took when going to the toilet. I was frequently humiliated and bullied as a result, mocked with the usual clichés such as "we were going to send out a search party for you!".

Additional symptoms such as nerve pain and joint pain severely limited my mobility. The frequent hospital appointments, treatments, colonoscopies, barium meals, reduced my social life to almost non existent. I felt isolated and too crestfallen to explain to my friends what was happening. The fact that my parents were so supportive was a great source of comfort. In my teenage years, attending hospital was particularly draining, due to having to travel from where I live in Ramsgate, to The Royal Free hospital in London. Fortunately, I was referred to my local hospital in Margate in my early twenties, which reduced the stress, inconvenience and cost of travelling.

Fast forward to 2009 and upon further investigations, my diagnosis was changed. After 13 years of thinking I had Ulcerative Colitis, I was diagnosed with Crohn's. I found treatments for this were often ineffective. I was given enemas to try, steroids which severely impacted my mental health, and various dosages of Azathioprine and Mesalazine. I was struggling with frequent flare ups which resulted in my wife and I swapping roles in 2013, where I became a stay at home dad, whilst she returned to work. This decision proved to be one of the best decisions we have ever made, because it allowed me to access new medication, infliximab administered monthly via IV pump, which has improved my health considerably.

What followed was 7 successful years of improved symptoms and my condition becoming more manageable. In the past year or so my body has stopped responding well to infliximab, and I have now been changed over to Vedolizumab. I still have constant daily battles with abdominal pain, joint pain and fatigue.

I have found my voice through poetry. I want to use it to share some of my experiences of Crohn's, and raise some money. Using my poems seemed like the perfect opportunity to raise awareness. I know how painful, draining and time consuming the disease can be, so I wanted to encourage others about the importance of recognising the signs to get an early diagnosis.

Crohn's is unpredictable. It can strike at any moment without warning. Which means cancelling plans at the last minute and rushing into disabled toilets are common occurrences. A better understanding of what can happen in a flare would significantly reduce the judgmental stereotypes aimed at sufferers.

If I was asked what I would say to other people in a similar situation, my advice would be to find someone you trust and talk to them about your diagnosis, symptoms and treatments. I am fortunate to have an incredibly supportive wife and 3 sons who are kind, patient and caring, I love them all so very much.

The moment you start opening a dialogue about your condition, the more easier it will be to open up to others about Crohn's and colitis. This will then start to strengthen your family and friends support networks. You are not alone, it is difficult, but there are many people out there who are understanding and above all else, kind.

Next year, I hope to continue to talk about my experiences of Crohn's and colitis. This will continue to be through my poetry and social media. What has been encouraging is that since my fundraiser, many people have approached me about their own diagnosis, which means that more face to face conversations are taking place about inflammatory bowel disease, and that can only be a good thing!

I also have a project in the pipeline for a potential art and poetry installation, with the theme very much centered around raising awareness for Crohn's and colitis. I can't say too much about that currently, as it is still very much in the early planning stages, but if it happens, it is going to be amazing, so watch this space!