A five-year-old’s determination to help her mum is melting hearts—and breaking records. Maddie, a Devon girl with a spirit far beyond her years, is gearing up to run a 5k Santa race to raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis UK, a charity close to her family’s heart. But here’s where it gets truly inspiring: Maddie’s mum, Ellis Russell, has been battling ulcerative colitis for nearly two decades, a condition that once left her with just a 20% chance of survival. Now, Maddie’s tiny feet are pounding the pavement not just for fun, but with a purpose: ‘I want to help poorly people like Mummy get better,’ she says with a wisdom that belies her age.
Ellis, diagnosed at 19 after a life-threatening toxic megacolon, has endured countless challenges, including a recent major surgery to remove scar tissue from her colon. Despite her struggles, she’s managed to live a ‘relatively normal life’—though ‘normal’ is a relative term when chronic illness is in the picture. Maddie, already an avid runner who’s been joining Parkruns with her dad since May, decided to take her passion a step further when her mum was hospitalized again in September. ‘She asked if she could run the Exeter City Santa Run to raise money,’ Ellis recalls, her voice brimming with pride. ‘She even wanted to donate her own pocket money to help people like me not be in pain.’
But here’s where it gets controversial: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like colitis are often shrouded in silence, deemed a ‘taboo subject’ that many avoid discussing. Ellis, a primary school teacher, knows this all too well. She’s had to find age-appropriate ways to explain her absences to her class while recovering from surgeries. ‘These conditions need to be talked about more,’ she insists. And she’s not alone in this fight. Exeter City player Jack Fitzwater has been vocal about his own colitis journey, partnering with Ellis’s doctor on the Know Your Sht* campaign, which encourages early screening for IBD through stool sample testing. ‘It’s so important to speak up when something doesn’t feel right in your body,’ Ellis emphasizes. ‘My hope is that in years to come, more people will recognize the signs early and feel confident seeking help.’
Maddie’s race isn’t just a 5k—it’s a symbol of resilience, love, and the power of a child’s determination to make a difference. But here’s the question we’re left with: If a five-year-old can tackle a 5k for a cause, why aren’t we doing more to break the stigma around IBD? What’s stopping us from talking openly about these conditions? Let’s use Maddie’s story as a catalyst for change. Share your thoughts in the comments—do you think we’re doing enough to raise awareness? And if not, what can we do better?
