Friends hold dance night for charity

9:09am Saturday 8th March 2008

A GROUP of friends from Oakwood are holding a dance music event next week in support of people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

They have been inspired by one friend's daughter who is beginning a new chapter in her life with the condition.

After six years of living with chronic ulcerative colitis, 19-year-old Kelly finally agreed to undergo surgery to remove her colon - the cause of an illness that has restricted her life.

Kelly's condition meant frequent trips to hospital, a struggle to keep up her education, and a life restricted by illness and the effects of taking high quantities of medication.

Her mum, Victoria, 36, says that despite this Kelly has remained confident and strong.

She said: "She's never given up - a real, real fighter, if there ever was one.

"She managed to make it through sixth form, managed to make it to college, but at college it just got so bad that she had to give it up and hopefully we will find a private course for her. She wants to do music technology and sound egineering."

Ulcerative colitis is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), similar to Crohn's Disease.

It is a long-term condition, affecting the colon and rectum. The ulcers that develop on the lining of the intestine bleed and inflammation causes urgent diarrhoea. Other symptoms include abdominal pain, tiredness, fever and weight loss.

In Kelly's case, it was unclear until she had the operation whether she had Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis.

The condition varies in individuals and often symptoms fluctuate in severity.

Victoria said: "Kelly was classed as having a very, very bad case of Crohn's.

"At the end she had been rushed into hospital quite a few times for pain relief."

Patients with Kelly's condition, who have their colon removed, have a stoma bag fitted to allow the emptying of liquid stools from the abdomen.

Another procedure is to create a replacement colon, known as an ileoanal pouch.

Victoria said Kelly was planning to have this more complex surgery which required a lot of preparation but would hopefully provide her with further independence and freedom.

A single parent with two daughters, one of the things Victoria has found difficult has been trying to find specialist information and support for coping with IBD.

On top of this, the family has lived in temporary accomodation for 12 years, with Victoria unable to work as she was a carer for Kelly.

She said: "Going back to when I was made homeless, I was living in a one-bedroom flat. I was crying out for help and there was no one there to help.

"With IBD you need the diet, you have to watch all the foods that you eat - it doesn't come very cheap."

Victoria says the most important factor for dealing with the condition has been diet, and said Kelly wanted to write a good food guide for sufferers.

It is estimated that IBD conditions affect one in 400 people, yet the precise cause remains unknown.

Treatment generally involves trying to reduce inflammation with steroids or other drugs and drugs to supress the immune system.

In the most chronic cases (around 80 percent of Crohn's sufferers) surgery is carried out.

With friends Tina Themistocleous and Georgia Langwith and the help of DJs Nick Simpson and Chris Lavish, Victoria is organising the fundraising event for the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease (NACC).

It will be held at a Apogee, Park Road, Crouch End on Saturday March 22 from 8pm.

If the group raises a minimum of £250 then Natwest, Ms Themistocleous's employer, will double the total raised.

Some names have been changed