Bridie McGowan

I’m taking on the Live Fearless Challenge this September to raise awareness and funds for the almost 180,000 Australians living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

My experience with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) began long before I had a name for it. For years, my symptoms were misdiagnosed. It all came to a head at a New Year’s Eve music festival in 2018, when I became ill and started developing symptoms I had never experienced before. In January 2019, I finally received the correct diagnosis.

Most people think Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is “just a stomach issue,” but the reality for those with IBD is much more than that: extreme fatigue, mouth ulcers, bloating, brain fog, joint pain, skin issues, hair loss, liver problems, gallstones, weight changes, and a whole lot more. In the long term, it can lead to malnutrition, anaemia, osteoporosis, strictures, and an increased risk of colon cancer. It isn’t just physical, it can take a huge toll on your mental health too.

At first, my UC was manageable. A combination of both mesalazine tablets and salofalk kept my symptoms under control, and I felt almost “normal” again. During that time, I made the decision to leave my job in Melbourne, go backpacking for several months, and eventually settle in Edinburgh. Within months of settling in the UK, my symptoms returned, this time accompanied by extreme fatigue, joint pain, and a loss of appetite. My specialists in the UK prescribed an eight-week course of steroids.

Those initial eight weeks turned into almost a year. The pattern, both exhausting and frustrating: eight weeks on steroids, a short break, then a flare that was worse than the last, repeat. Hospital visits became frequent, and all of this played out in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK. Most days, I would be running to the bathroom 10–20 times, with urgency that left no room for hesitation. With it came bleeding and mucus; far from pleasant, but at that stage, my “normal.” Some days, I was anxious to leave the house, and always ensured, no matter where I went, I knew where the nearest bathroom was.

By late 2020, I decided to return to Australia. Somehow, I began to improve before leaving the UK. I was fortunate to secure a repatriation flight to Darwin, yet within days of arrival, my health deteriorated. I couldn’t keep food or water down and could barely eat or drink without it making a very quick and dramatic exit — sometimes both ways at once (how delightful!). My body ached in ways I’d never experienced, pain deep into my muscles and bones that made even getting out of bed feel impossible.

In hotel quarantine, my condition declined to the point that I was taken by ambulance to Royal Darwin Hospital for observation and began hydrocortisone injections in the hope of getting me well enough to fly home to Melbourne. My inflammation markers (CRP) were off the charts, and my weight dropped by six kilograms in under three weeks.

Two days after arriving home in Melbourne, I was admitted to hospital again. A colonoscopy revealed that my UC had spread, taking over most of my large bowel. Surgery became a possibility if my bowel couldn’t recover. 

On 1 December 2020, I began Infliximab infusions (what I referred to at the time as “liquid gold”). This treatment changed everything. In February 2021, after a follow-up scope, my specialist team told me my disease was in active remission.

There were a few hiccups between February 2021 and December 2023, with periods of being in and out of remission, but this current period is the longest I’ve stayed well since my diagnosis. Even now, in remission, I still experience symptoms here and there (remission doesn’t always mean being completely symptom-free) but my CRP levels remain normal and there are no visible signs of inflammation in my bowel. 

Fast-forward to August 2025, and I am the healthiest I have been since my diagnosis. I re-entered remission in December 2023 and have maintained it ever since, now only on one medication: vedolizumab, which I receive infusions every eight weeks at Box Hill Hospital. The team, particularly the nursing staff, have been incredible, and I cannot thank them enough.

Living with UC, has been anything but straightforward but I have learnt so much about myself, how to advocate for myself when something doesn’t feel right, to listen to my body, to not let it hold me back from anything and most importantly the power of a positive mindset.

That’s why I’m getting active this September and aiming to complete 150km. Every kilometre is for the thousands of people living with IBD who face this in silence.

Consider supporting me as I take on the LFC! Your donation will help fund research, patient support, education and advocacy.