Lucinda is aiming to raise £1,000 for the BRI with a Year of Challenges. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in the second year of her masters. She said:

“Instead of looking for a job in the field I trained in, I was getting used to having a chronic illness and trying various medications to try and get my Crohn’s under control.

“Since I moved to Bristol eight years ago I have been look after by BRI’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease Team, in particular Dr Tom Creed, IBD nurse Aileen Fraser and surgeon Mr Paul Sylvester.

“I have had incredible care at the BRI. I had my first Crohn’s operation there when I got my stoma, and over the years have spent weeks on what used to be Ward 18.”

From running half marathons to Olympic-length triathlons, Lucinda’s Year of Challenges includes big and small events to raise money for BRI.

She said:

It is an opportunity to push myself while I feel pretty well and to enjoy some new experiences. I want to prove to myself that I am stronger than my illness and that it will not hold me back.

"The money I raise is just a little thank you to the staff who have looked after me over the years. From the Pathology Day Unit, where I used to have my Infliximab infusions every month, to the porters who took me from the ward to radiology, the cleaners who kept the ward spotlessly clean to the anaesthetists who looked after me before, during and after surgery….and all the other staff in between! Thank you all for keeping me alive and well!

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To find out more about Lucinda, watch her video: