Sutton ball raises thousands to fight Crohn's disease (From Your Local Guardian)

Sutton ball raises thousands to fight Crohn's disease

7:30am Tuesday 14th February 2012 in News By Sophia Sleigh

The mother of a teenager suffering from an incurable disease has raised thousands of pounds for charity.

Ollie Higgs, 15, from Sutton suffers from Crohn’s disease, a painful condition which affects the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus.

His mother, Helen Higgs decided to host a ball at the Holiday Inn, Sutton as a thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff who treat Ollie.

The ball, on Saturday, February 4, raised thousands of pounds for Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children in Carshalton and a Crohn’s charity.

After an auction, raffle and casino, Mrs Higgs and her co-organisers have smashed their £3,000 target already and are still counting up their money.

She said: "Ollie is an exceptional young man - despite being incredibly poorly at times, he is consistently brave and does his best not to let his condition get him down.

"But the fact is- Crohn’s is a really difficult thing to live with.

"It can be excruciatingly painful and makes it very hard to get the nutrients that you need - especially if you’re a growing teenager.

"We’ve tried everything to get him better, and I think the whole family will remain forever optimistic that there’s a cure just around the corner.

"In the meantime, we want to do what we can to thank the people who have helped us get here."

She said it was a fantastic evening and thanked everyone who came and helped.

For more information about the hospitals, including how you can support their work, visit epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/getinvolved.

For more information about Crohn’s disease visit nhs.uk/crohns.