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Pam Brown is a mortgage broker from Oxfordshire. Her 22-year-old son Joe was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when he was only 12. Pam is a keen fundraiser for Crohn’s & Colitis UK and a huge advocate for people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and has shared her story of the little things she does to support Joe.
Little things mean a lot
If someone you know has Crohn's or Colitis, the little things you do can make a big difference to them.
It can be really hard to know how best to help someone who’s living with Crohn’s or Colitis. You might feel anxious or powerless because you can’t take their condition away. That’s totally natural. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to help.
You’ll find some suggestions of little things you can do to help someone living with Crohn’s or Colitis below.
I want to help...
Little things
You don’t have to come up with grand gestures or always know exactly what to say. It could be as simple as making them a cup of tea, filling a hot water bottle, offering a lift to a medical appointment, or even just sitting together on the sofa watching TV when they’re too tired to do anything else.
Think you may have symptoms of Crohn’s or Colitis?
Don’t ignore your symptoms, use our symptom checker today.
It may be tempting to brush off stomach pain, frequent diarrhoea, urgency to go or blood in poo. But these could be symptoms of Crohn's or Colitis, even if they come and go, or you don’t experience them all.
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Helpline Service
Last updated: 22/07/2026
Our Helpline team can't take calls, chats or ring you back for the rest of the summer. But you can still reach us by email.
If you need to contact the team, please email helpline@crohnsandcolitis.org.uk and we'll answer you as soon as possible.
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How Can We Help?
- We can help you understand Crohn’s and Colitis
- Listen and talk about living with IBD
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Please be aware we’re not medically or legally trained. We cannot provide detailed financial or benefits advice or specialist emotional support.
If you need specific medical advice about your condition, your GP or IBD team will be best placed to help.
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