Help Caroline raise money

Hi! My name is Caroline, and I will be running the Falmouth Road Race again this summer to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation. This foundation is very close to my heart as I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease four years ago, when I was 16. 

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are known collectively as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis affects almost 1 in 100 people, with most people developing the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35; however the incidence is increasing in children. They are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system, forcing many patients to require numerous hospitalizations and surgery. 

Following my diagnosis, I was hospitalized for a week before returning home on a liquid diet for the next two months. I began to receive Remicade infusions every eight weeks for the next few years, until this past fall. Unfortunately, the reality of these diseases is that the medications will not work forever and patients have to make changes to their treatment plans. I was lucky enough to be able to smoothly switch to Stelara with no increased symptoms.

Unfortunately for so many other people with Crohns and Colitis, that isn't the case. Your donations will help the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, the largest non-profit, voluntary, health organization dedicated to finding cures for IBD, to improve the quality of life of children and adults who are affected by these diseases, and to ultimately cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research; providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public; and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. They have already come so far in the last 15 years with advancements in treatments that allow many patients to live a more or less regular life, and with further funding can continue that mission. 

Thanks to the work of so many doctors, researchers, and donors, I am able to lead a regular life while living with this disease. Thank you so much for your support, any donation is greatly appreciated!