Appeal for support as son prepares for Crohn's operation

A mother has vowed to be at her son's bedside as he goes for treatment in a bid to aid his debilitating condition.

Kyle Foxall is waiting for a date for reconstructive surgery at St George's Hospital in London to treat his rare form of Crohn's.

In 2014, Kyle, aged 18 from Stourbridge, was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Crohn's after a lengthy process.

Doctors at Birmingham Children's Hospital had never seen his form of the bowel disease before.

His form of the illness has so far only been found in one other patient in Ireland.

It is so severe it affects every part of his life and has taken a huge toll on his mental and physical health.

Kyle said: "I won't leave the house on my own in case my Crohn's flares up.

"I also suffer a lot with joint pain, fatigue and some days I don't want to get up."

Kyle may be required to stay in London for as long as a week for his operation and he desperately wants his mother by his side for support.

He added: "It's very important to me to have my mum there while I'm in hospital. She's been there for me from day one and I can't praise her enough."

His mother, Jane Foxall, 52, also suffers from Crohn's as well as other health problems, she said: "Some days I struggle to get out of bed because of problems with my spine".

Jane is struggling to fund the trip, which she estimates will cost around £1,600, as she is unable to work due to her disabilities, but is determined to be by Kyle's side.

"I wouldn't let him be on his own and I certainly wouldn't leave him in London on his own."

Just Straight Talk, a support project in Coseley, has been supporting Kyle since he left school.

Kate Beale, Project Manager at JST, set up a Gofundme page on behalf of Kyle and Jane to support them.

She said: "We have tried numerous funds available but Kyle and Jane have not been eligible for them due to the support being needed for the adult rather than the young person.

"This financial help will be used to book a hotel and any extra would help towards food, travel money and new post surgery gown & pyjamas for Kyle."

So far £275 has been raised for them and Jane wants to thank everyone who has donated so far.

She added: "I'm so grateful I can't explain it, I wish I could send each person a personalised thank you card, I'm honoured they would choose to help me.

"I never knew about Gofundme before. I hope I can give back to someone else on the website in the future."

Despite the challenges they are facing, Kyle and his mother remain positive and are using their situation to raise awareness about Crohn's.

Kyle said: "I volunteer as one of the Dudley Young Health Champions when I can.

"Even if I'm suffering I want to try and help other people.

His mother also wants to encourage people to seek help from professionals.

Jane said: "I want to tell people that if they're showing any symptoms of Crohn's then go to the doctors and do a stool sample because that's how he was finally diagnosed."

You can donate to their Gofundme page online.