Alice's Story
“She would never identify as being a sick child,” says Yvonne Elliott of her daughter Alice. “She has totally accepted that this is her thing, and she just gets on with it.”
Today, Alice is an active 11 year old who enjoys swimming, tennis and hip hop dancing. She has been attending Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin since she was a toddler after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and now receives infliximab infusions, a therapy administered intravenously to treat Crohn’s every five weeks. Thanks to her treatment, Yvonne says her daughter is able to enjoy a busy childhood.
“She has a very full life,” she says. “She’s very funny. She’s a really tough little cookie. She takes all of it in her stride and is a very good kid. She has grown with it and has very much accepted it.”
“As a baby she was always very unsettled. She was diagnosed with reflux, colic and all those things,” Yvonne explains.
When Alice was two and a half, she developed an abscess on one of her teeth. It was something that immediately concerned the family’s dentist.
“My dentist pushed me because two and a half year olds don’t generally get abscesses on teeth.”
The family, who live just outside Cavan town, attended a local paediatrician where tests were carried out. Although there was no immediate cause for concern, another worrying symptom soon followed.
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“At about three, she got another huge abscess. When the abscess actually popped, she had a full fistula. She was in a very bad way.” her mother says. “Shortly after that, we went on to Professor Billy Bourke in Crumlin. Then it just took off quite quickly from there with MRIs and scopes.”
Alice was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at around three and a half years of age. She began treatment with medication. “June 2026 marked six years on infliximab infusions,” says Yvonne. “Between CHI at Crumlin and CHI at Connolly she goes every five weeks and it has completely changed her life.”
Today, Alice’s Crohn’s disease has little impact on her day to day life. Although Yvonne says she can become more tired in the days leading up to her next infusion, the treatment has transformed how she feels. “You would find the week before her infusion, or if she’s been very, very busy, her skin can flare up a bit and her energy levels would be down,” she says. “But as soon as she gets her infusion, by the time we’re leaving the hospital she’s bouncing off the walls. It’s unbelievable.”
Alice has also learned which foods suit her best and follows a diet that helps her manage her condition. “She’s just careful of what she eats,” says Yvonne. “She eats quite a plain diet because she knows what doesn’t upset her tummy.”
Over the past nine years, the family has built strong relationships with the team caring for Alice at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and, more recently, Connolly Hospital.
“I think they are the most amazing set of people,” says Yvonne. “There are probably two or three nurses who have been with us since the start and they feel like family.”
Hospital visits have become a familiar part of Alice’s routine, something Yvonne credits to the way the staff have always treated her. “She hugs them. She brings them a Christmas present. It is not a big deal to go to hospital. They remember if we were going on holidays or if there was something going on. The little things that they remember to chat about make such a difference.”
The play specialists have also played an important role in helping children feel comfortable during their hospital visits.
“They come in and chat and ask her what she’s interested in,” says Yvonne. “If it’s hip hop, they might go and find her a hip hop book or a picture to do with it. It’s just the way they engage with the kids and get them chatting.”
When asked what advice she would give another parent whose child has just been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, Yvonne recommends joining a support group. She says connecting with another mother through an online support group led to a lasting friendship, with the two families continuing to help one another as their daughters receive treatment.
Looking at Alice today, Yvonne says she is most proud of the way her daughter has never allowed Crohn’s disease to define her.
“She would never say to people, ‘I can’t do that because I’ve Crohn’s.’ She has totally accepted that this is her thing and she just gets on with it.”
Reflecting on the care Alice has received at CHI Crumlin and Connolly over the years, Yvonne says it has made an enormous difference, not only to her daughter, but to the whole family.
“They have made this whole part of Alice’s life so much more bearable. She’s not the only kid. I see them do that to every child that comes through that door. That’s the part that you have to really love. They’re made feel special, and they do it for every child.”
