Izzy & Family
I was diagnosed with Behçet’s at age 11, at the end of year six. Having the illness at a young age when I was just starting senior school, I so wanted to be like everyone else. It has been a long and lonely journey, for both me and my family, not knowing anyone else suffering from similar symptoms.
When my Mum heard about the “Bike for Behçet’s, Run for the Rare” fundraising campaign, we were in the middle of the Covid pandemic and shielding. Living in an area surrounded by countryside, we saw it as a safe opportunity to get out and exercise. We’ve really enjoyed meeting the other participants via the posts on social media and learning about their experiences with Behçet’s Disease. It has helped us to better understand the disease and how it affects others and we found everyone’s stories to be incredibly inspiring and motivating.
The experience of “Walking for Behçet’s” and posting on social media has made me more comfortable spreading awareness and sharing my experiences with my friends and my community. After presenting to my school, the students have voted to support Behçet’s UK as one of the school charities for this year. I am hoping we can continue to raise awareness and funds for Behçet’s UK.
