Son founded Catherine McEwan Foundation to honour mum

AFTER losing his mum to Crohn’s disease when he was just 16, Derek McEwan from Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, was inspired to make sure no one would go through the same amount of suffering.

The Catherine McEwan Foundation, which supports Crohn’s and Colitis UK and Yorkhill Children’s Charity, was started in 2003 and has gone on to help thousands of inflammatory bowel disease sufferers across the country.

Twelve years down the line, businessman Derek remains as passionate as ever in his mission to help anyone who is affected by IBD.

“IBD is a battle. It is a battle for the person who suffers every day. It is a battle for the family. It is a battle for the friends. It is a battle for the doctors. It is a battle for the nurses”, he said.

“When I thought about it, my story and many others who have a family member who suffers from IBD is very relevant to the battle. IBD affects every single family member not just the patient. Often the parents, the brothers, the sisters, the friends; their stories are forgotten by everyone except for themselves.”

Along with his dad and brother Gary, Derek had the painful experience of watching his mother’s health deteriorate from the illness. As well as suffering from severe Crohn’s disease, Catherine was later diagnosed with epilepsy and arthritis which debilitated her further.

“My early memories of my mum were of her constantly being at the doctors and being in and out of hospital. That was normal life. How was a five-year-old to know there was nothing normal about this? I’d known it from the day I was born.

“She had multiple major operations to remove parts of her intestine. Nothing seemed to work and very often my mum’s hospital stays were not for surgery but to build her up. Her Crohn’s had caused her to fall to just over six stone so she required to be fed from a tube to build her up” he explains.

Catherine passed away aged 38 years-old.

In the years since the foundation was set up in her name, thousands of people affected by the disease have received help and support thanks to Derek.

“There’s now a Catherine McEwan Foundation Fellowship at Glasgow University which is engaged in vital research, we fund an IBD Specialist nurse at Yorkhill, we hold family days where kids and parents can meet each other, share experiences and support each other.

The success of the charity is “very difficult to quantify”, Derek explains.

“Our work has inspired others to fundraise and make a difference and I believe that’s an incredible achievement in itself.”

The foundation continues to raise money through regular fundraising events including marathons, santa bungee jumps and the annual Red Hot Ball. This year, the charity will be receiving part of the proceeds from the First Minister’s Christmas card.

One person who the charity has inspired is twelve year-old ulcerative colitis sufferer Jenny Cook from East Kilbride who has raised nearly £100,000 for the Catherine McEwan Foundation and Yorkhill Children’s Charity. The youngster was awarded the Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award and invited to visit 10 Downing Street last year.

“We want to improve our fundraising year on year and, with that, have a great impact on patients lives through the funds that are channelled into projects agreed with our partners”, Derek says. “ We always want to do it in a positive and fun way as that’s always what the Catherine McEwan Foundation has been about.”

Next year, the Catherine McEwan Foundation and Dean vs MS will team up for a triathlon which will see Derek, along with Dean and Barry, take on the ultimate fitness test. Starting at the Marble Arch in London then rowing and cycling their way to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. To support Arch to Arc, visit their website.