Brave Rowan's a wee battler

Little Rowan, pictured right, was diagnosed with the 
debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when she was just two-years-old.

Her gran Pat Gair said the little girl suffered 
six months of sickness, 
severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhea and 
extreme fatigue before 
doctors finally worked out what was wrong.

There is no cure for the chronic, lifelong condition and the 
only treatment available is aimed at suppressing the symptoms which can have horrible side effects. 
Rowan is one of thousands of children in Scotland suffering from the condition.

This country has one of 
the highest rates of Crohn’s disease in the world and 
the numbers are rising rapidly, particularly among 
children.

Pat said: “The medication made Rowan so sick. She would vomit every morning before going to school.”

The little girl also suffers from extreme joint pain.

Pat added: “It’s a terrible condition and I don’t think people realise how bad it is.

“It’s great the Herald is raising awareness of 
the disease. It is very often overlooked.

“More and more children are being affected. It’s also an invisible disease. On the 
outside, you just can’t tell and some people can be very 
judgmental.

“I lifted Rowan on to a 
supermarket trolley because her legs were so sore and someone commented that she was not a baby and should be walking.”

Many young people with the disease require frequent hospitalisation and a growing number have to have their 
colon removed because of the extent of the disease.

Pat is a volunteer with Glasgow-based charity Cure Crohn’s Colitis. which the Herald is supporting through our ‘Mad Hatter’s Easter Party competition.

The charity is made up 
entirely of volunteers and gives 100 per cent of its funds to medical research.

We are asking readers to raise money for the charity and be in with the chance to win Easter goodies.

Pat, who has raised around £4,000 for the charity through a fund-raising auction and draws, said: “I hope there are lots of entries and a lot of money is raised for research into this dreadful disease.”