To try to boost my blog content I’ve decided to take part in the Health Activist Writing Month Challenge. This is a daily writing challenge with prompts from the lovely people at WEGO Health who are running the awards I’m nominated in – and a big thank you to all of you who endorsed my nomination, the finalists are announced in December.

So today is about introductions – let’s get to know each other! What drives you to
write about your health? What do you want other
Health Activists to know about your condition and
your activism?

I’m Richard, 35 and I have ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease.

I write started writing about my health as a way of dealing with what was happening for myself, and then as I approached surgery to form a new stoma wanted to share that journey. I had the surgery and have kept writing to try to raise awareness of inflammatory bowel disease and living with an ileostomy.

My activism is mostly online – although I did a year as the coordinator of my local Crohn’s & Colitis UK group – and you can find me contributing to various Facebook groups and forums. I also started #IBDHour – a Twitter hour for IBD chat in September 2016.

I’m hoping (work and daddy commitments allowing) to write a book bringing together my blog posts and some new writing and ultimately I’d like to create a spoken word show about my experiences.

So, that’s me – enjoy the next thirty days of writing, and do get in touch if you have any questions!