'Ulcerative Colitis affected my ability to dance - but clinical trial has helped me get moving again'

Following a family holiday to Tenerife in 2020, Georgia felt very ill. At first, it was put down to a sickness bug and gastroenteritis, but six months later, she was referred to Sheffield Children’s for medical tests and diagnosed with UC.

The long-term condition means the colon and rectum become inflamed and small ulcers can develop on the colon’s lining, which can bleed and produce pus. For Georgia, one of the symptoms of UC is extreme tiredness and it soon had an impact on her dancing ambitions.

“Having ulcerative colitis affected my dancing, as I felt really tired a lot of the time,” she says. "After doing a show I’d have to spend three days in bed recovering. Before that, I would dance five times a week, and we had to bring that down to twice a week.”

The gastroenterology team began a course of treatment for Georgia, providing her with various routine therapies – including intravenous drugs.

There was some progress, but none of the conventional therapies produced a suitable long-lasting outcome for Georgia and she was offered the opportunity to take part in a new clinical trial at the hospital’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF).

The trial was for patients with moderate to severe UC and gave her access to a new drug treatment. Unlike some of the existing treatments, the drug Georgia took as part of the trial is administered orally as a tablet, meaning she only needed appointments at Sheffield Children’s once a month, where she was followed diligently by the research team.

Within a week, her condition began to improve. Georgia began to feel like she could manage the demands of performing in a show again and decided to study her passion at college.

She says: “I was always determined that I keep dancing. I still get tired sometimes, but it has definitely got better over the last couple of years. College has been a really positive experience; I’m learning all about the theory of dance but also continuing to dance myself too.”

Georgia was on the trial for a year – and it has now been extended, meaning she can continue to receive the treatment. “The Inflammatory bowel disease team at Sheffield Children’s have been amazing," she says.

The window of the CRF overlooks leafy Weston Park, but Georgia has her sights set on something slightly further afield. “I’ve always wanted to dance on the West End and I think my next steps will be about heading towards that,” she says.

“There are so many amazing West End shows that I would love to be a part of. The plan is to get an agent and see what happens next, maybe performing on a cruise ship, which would be great too.”

Georgia took on a role in a local production at Rotherham Civic Theatre – watched by a couple of familiar faces. “Amy and Aimee from the CRF came to watch me perform in West Side Story. I was so happy they came, I didn’t expect them to at all,” she says. “It was really nice and shows they really do take an interest in me as a person.

“The team also came to meetings at school with me to help explain my absences. Not everybody understands the condition and they made my school aware of the side effects and how it could affect me. I’m really grateful”.

The study Georgia is taking part in is one of more 300 research studies active at Sheffield Children’s CRF. Dr Akshay Kapoor, IBD Lead, says: “Here at Sheffield Children’s, we are proud to lead research that

makes a real difference to our patients. Our IBD trial portfolio includes the latest, cutting-edge medication for both Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, designed to rescue complex cases from surgery and significant illness. Every child who joins a study helps us discover better treatments, both for themselves and for others in the future.”

If you would like to get involved, find out more at www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/research/take-part-in-research.