A father-of-two who was fighting for his life last year will push his body to the limit on April 13 when he runs the London Marathon.

Chris Camps, 37, from Newmarket, spent 33 days in West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds - including three days in intensive care - due to Crohn’s disease, a long-term condition that causes the lining of the digestive system to be inflamed.

He had learned to control it by modifying his diet and doing more exercise, but it flared up when he was prescribed painkillers following a motorcycle race accident.

Mr Camps, a designer at Newmarket-based DesignCMC, is taking part in the marathon to raise money for Crohn’s and Colitis UK which has supported him.

He said: “I’ve found running has always helped with the effects of Crohn’s disease and when I left hospital simply walking was proving difficult! However, I’m slowly regaining fitness and one of my other ambitions has always been to run the iconic London Marathon.”

Mr Camps’ health deteriorated quickly following the crash, in which he broke his collarbone. He needed surgery and while in recovery he developed pneumonia. He was taken into intensive care when his oxygen levels dropped to a dangerous level.

His wife Nicola said: “It was touch and go for a while and I was so scared I was going to lose my husband.”

Mr Camps came out of hospital nearly two stone lighter and was told by medical experts it would take anything from six months to a year to recover. But just six weeks later he was racing again, and rebroke his collarbone in one event. “The injuries I sustained from the accidents were minor in comparison to the subsequent health problems caused by my pre-existing condition,” he said.

To donate, visit Chris’s charity page

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