Doncaster woman with Crohn's Disease who couldn't run for more than a minute to tackle London Marathon

Caitlin Whitmore will tackle the gruelling 26 mile race on October 2 and she is appealing for sponsors to raise money for charity to help her get round the famous course.

She began training ion January – when she admits she couldn’r run for more than a minute without stopping.

Said Caitlin: "In 2016 I was unexpectedly diagnosed with Crohn's Disease which has had a massive impact on my life.

"It has been a very difficult few years for me finding out I have this lifelong illness and learning how to cope with the symptoms.

"I'd had countless blood tests, MRI's and CT's, and several colonoscopies to try and find the right treatment. Trying almost every treatment available including self-injections, tablets, infusions and plenty of steroids, none had worked.”

Things became so bad that in 2018, she was admitted to hospital for more than a week.

Added Caitlin: “I kept getting worse and worse being on failing treatment after failing treatment.

"I had been on steroids constantly which came with their own side effects including weight gain and the weakening of my bones.

"January 2019 saw another week long stay in the hospital, only to be readmitted again in March.

"They put me on IV steroids every time and it seemed to work for a short while until I began to get symptoms again and lost a lot of weight. I was then told that not only did I have Crohn's disease, I also had Ulcerative Colitis, the other form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Crohn's Disease is the inflammation of the digestive system and is a lifelong chronic illness with no known cure. Symptoms include extreme stomach pain and fatigue, passing blood leading to anemia, urgency to go to the toilet, joint pain and mouth ulcers - just to name a few.

Added Caitlin: “Thankfully I have been able to manage my Crohn’s and colitis with regular infusions and have come off of the steroids that I have been on for over a year, meaning that my symptoms are easing and I'm managing to work full-time.

"I still have days worse than others but overall I am feeling much better thankfully.

“I have decided to undertake the massive challenge of the London Marathon for Crohn's and Colitis UK who do amazing work improving the lives of people with both of these conditions and ultimately aim to find a cure.

"They research in order to help health professionals develop better treatments, including the fairly new treatment that I am now on, and they give support for people with Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

“I have never run anything near marathon distance before so this is gonna be the biggest challenge and is going to take some serious training.”

She added: “I started training in January where I couldn’t run for more than a minute and it has been hard balancing training whilst having Crohn’s disease. I’ve got a few months till the marathon and I’m really starting to increase the distance and get ready.”

You can support Caitlin’s fundraising campaign HERE