From a hospital bed to 100km – Danika’s story
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with digestive issues. My life often felt like a revolving door of hospital visits, doctor appointments, and relentless battles with food, always accompanied by the refrain, “It must have been something I ate.” By my mid-20s, I had eliminated dairy and meat from my diet, but by my 30s, I was grappling with severe health issues. My hair began falling out in clumps, I couldn’t maintain my weight, I was persistently anemic, dealing with constant fatigue, mouth ulcers, stomach aches, and general soreness.
In 2018, a complete crash landed me in the hospital for a week, only to be discharged without a diagnosis. By 2019, I had relocated to Northern NSW, just three days after losing my brother-in-law to bowel cancer. The strain of managing his palliative care and witnessing his rapid decline took a significant toll on me. Shortly after moving, my health deteriorated again. Fortunately, my wife found a remarkable GP, and within days, I was in the hospital for a scope. The diagnosis of Crohn’s disease was initially disheartening, but it eventually became a relief to have a name for my condition and to start a treatment plan.
Within six months, I was on five different medications. The side effects of steroids worsened my alopecia, and I faced the prospect of resection surgery. Throughout this challenging journey, running has been my sanctuary, providing crucial mental health relief and lifting me from the darkest moments. However, in 2019, my specialist warned me that continuing to run could jeopardize my health, a blow that was mentally devastating.
Undeterred, my wife once again took the reins, finding me a Crohn’s specialist in Brisbane, three hours away from where we lived. Fast forward five years, and my health has significantly improved. I am now in clinical remission, managing my condition with a tailored regimen of Stelara injections, a controlled diet, and a well-balanced lifestyle.
My journey has been long and arduous, but it led me to embrace running as a means to cope with the emotional rollercoaster of living with Crohn’s. In 2023, I signed up for my first trail run: a challenging 50km race in Noosa. Despite stomach issues that made the final 10km grueling, I persisted, tackling three events within the year, each marred by digestive struggles.
By early 2024, I enlisted a running coach who understood both my mental drive and my medical needs, collaborating with my specialist to prepare my body for another attempt at a 50km race. The Sunshine Coast Yandina race was a success, completed in 6.5 hours without any issues.
Feeling confident and in clinical remission, I set my sights on a full ultra marathon: the 105km Guzzler in Brisbane. On July 21st, I began the race at 6:30 am and crossed the finish line at 1:00am the following morning, completing it in 18.5 hours. For the entire race, I experienced no stomach issues and remained symptom-free. The exhilaration of crossing the finish line was indescribable — I’ve never felt healthier or more triumphant in my life, and I wanted to share my story with all IBD patients. Under the right care plan and medication, some goals do not need to be left unconquered.
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