Nick Kennedy's UCSA Charity Fight Night

I am lucky enough to have been selected to participate in this years UCSA Charity Fight Night on the 19th of July. Over the next 8 weeks I will be working as hard as I can to give myself the best chance of winning.

You can find some more information about the event here:

http://www.ucsa.org.nz/events/charity-fight-night/

The charity I have chosen to support through this is Crohn's and Colitis New Zealand

Crohn's Disease is an auto-immune disorder that can effect any part of the digestive system. It causes inflammation throughout the gut that makes digestion difficult. This leads to abdominal pain, nausea, weight loss and fatigue. There is no known cure for Crohn's disease, therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms and even bring about long-term remission however as a chronic illness, it is with people for life.

I am one of those people. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 15.

It has had a huge impact on my life so far, going through a variety of medications to try and keep it under control, many of which have side effects which are arguably worse than the symptoms themselves.

In 2016 I hit a real low point. I had to withdraw from University for the year and move back home to Dunedin to focus on my health. I was hospitalised for 2 months when I dropped down to 39kg. My body wasn't digesting anything and I was sleeping upward of 16 hours a day. Watching the world pass by from a hospital bed and your mates enjoying some of the best years of their lives really got me motivated to take every opportunity I can.

The UCSA Charity fight night is something I have had my eye on for a while. I missed out on the opportunity last year because no-one within 4kg of me signed up to fight. This year it is different, weighing in at 63kg, I have been selected to fight.

Crohn's and Colitis NZ is a charity that aims to bring awareness and support New Zealander's fighting the disease. It is a charity extremely close to my heart and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity to give back to them.

I have a goal to raise at least $1000. Every little bit helps.

Thank you all for your support, I am not going to let you down.