Husband's condition inspires wife's fundraising challenge
A mother-of-four is to take part in the Great North Run to raise awareness of a condition that has blighted the life of her husband and family for more than 20 years.
Jodie Caudwell, of Caunton, is hoping to raise as much money as she can for Crohn’s and Colitis UK.
“I want to help the charity as much as possible to find a cure or at least find something that helps the millions of sufferers live a relatively pain-free life,” she said.
Her husband, Andrew, 45, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in his early 20s.
Each case is different but, in general, it causes inflammation of the digestive system and can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhoea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. It affects at least 115,000 people in the UK and millions worldwide.
“It was a shock when it was diagnosed, but I decided it was not going to control me,” Andrew said.
The condition affected his appetite and at one stage Andrew’s weight fell to about nine stone.
His consultant suggested several medications but Andrew continued to have problems, including large abscesses.
When Andrew was 30, doctors decided the only option was to remove his large intestine, colon, rectum and anal canal in a 12-hour operation.
It left him with a stoma and having to deal with a large wound that had to be dressed twice daily.
After 18 months, it was decided the only way to close the wound was to transfer muscle from his inner thigh, a procedure done only once before in America and that proved successful.
It took Andrew two years to recover, but he said the operation enabled him to enjoy life again.
About four years ago Andrew developed an itchy rash all over his body and he was diagnosed with Crohn’s of the skin and treated with steroids.
As health problems persisted, Andrew was prescribed other medication but found he was dangerously allergic to one, and another was having an affect on his liver.
“It got to the stage where I felt I was done with hospitals, drugs and medication,” he said.
“I felt they didn’t know how to fix me and the drugs nearly killed me.”
Andrew and Jodie also had to deal with financial worries as, despite Andrew being declared not fit for work, the benefits system at the time provided only basic help.
At one stage, the couple feared they might lose their home.
“It is the silent disease that no one wants to know about,” Andrew said.
His career was affected. He had senior management roles in the electronic industry but found little understanding for his condition.
Andrew was told in January that a medication used to treat psoriasis was now being tried on patients with Crohn’s.
“After 25 years of pain they were telling me there was a drug that could make me pain free,” he said.
He was initially reluctant to try it because of the possible impact on his work.
But things improved significantly workwise when Andrew secured a job with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
He said he finally found an understanding employer and so last month decided to go ahead with the new medication.
He received his first infusion two weeks ago. This will be followed by an injection every eight weeks for the next six months.
At the moment Crohn’s has caused inflammatory arthritis in one of Andrew’s knees, so he and Jodie are hoping the new treatment brings improvements.
“It is tough because there are so many things Andrew can’t do as a family,” Jodie said.
She will be taking part in the Great North Run in Newcastle on September 9.
Donations can by made through www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jodie-caudwell
