The book will help educate children themselves as well as their families about the conditions and different aspects of living with the diseases.
Through age appropriate, relatable information, this new resource aims to empower children to make the right choices for themselves as well as learning better self-care as there is currently no resource that meets this need.
The resource is available for free and is for children aged 7-11 living with Crohn's or Colitis themselves, or children who have a parent or family member living with the disease.
The story, that has been designed with illustrator Thomas Wolfe, who lives with Crohn's Disease himself, focuses on cats which is a metaphor for looking after your disease.
The book can be personalized so the reader can decide whether the characters, Riley and Owen have either Crohn's, Colitis or IBD Unclassified, depending on their own circumstances.
The story makes the invisible visible by representing Owen and Riley's conditions in the form of cats - sometimes they follow you around and bother you, and at other times they leave you alone. Riley and Owen always have to take care of their cats, but they're only a small part of who they are. Challenging situations such as feeling different from friends and taking medicine are explored in a sensitive and friendly way.
Riley and Owen discover that while it takes guts to live with a Crohn's or Colitis cat, they can still achieve their dreams, like Strictly Come Dancing professional and charity ambassador, Amy Dowden.
Information specifically designed with children's needs in mind will make a huge difference in helping the thousands of children living with Crohn's or Colitis come to terms with their condition. This resource is greatly needed and facilitated the involvement of illustrator Thomas Wolfe, children, parents and carers in shaping this new resource.
Meet our Crohn's and Colitis Cats