Two Peterborough brothers with Crohn’s disease took to the streets on Saturday as part of the annual Peterborough Gutsy Walk.
Brothers Callyn Connolly, 14, and Kohen, 10, are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. They were honorary chairpersons of the Peterborough Gutsy Walk, a five-km walk that began at the Peterborough Zoo, continued to Trent, and back through the zoo — all to raise awareness and funds.
“It feels good because we can raise a lot of awareness and we want to get to the point where we can finally beat Crohn’s and colitis.”
There is a higher incident of Crohn’s and colitis in Canada than any other place in the world. One in 150 Canadians are living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitics and that number continues to grow.
Incidents of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995, organizers say.
READ MORE: Rates of Crohn’s disease, colitis rising among Canadian Children under 5
While experts do not know the exact reason why Canadians are more susceptible, there are some hypotheses, including lack of sunlight, high rates of vitamin D deficiency, diet and migration patterns.
That is why an event like this is important to raise funds for research and treatment.
“Our goal for Peterborough is $22,000, online is $11,000, and we’ll see what we come at later today,” said Caitlyn Brown, a volunteer with the Gutsy Walk.\
Just over $15 000 was raised after Sunday’s Gutsy Walk. Donations are still being accepted up at Gutsywalk.ca until July 2nd.
Last year’s Gutsy Walk raised $18 000, which went directly to education, patient programs, raising awareness and research on Colitits and Crohn’s disease.
As of Monday, Brown said more than $15,000 was raised with donations still being accepted until July 2.
“Hopefully we hit $22,000,” said Brown.
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