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By Daniella Gray
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Months of unexplained symptoms left a family from the U.K. searching for answers until a series of hospital tests revealed that their 3-year-old son had ulcerative colitis.
Mom Sophie, who did not share her full name for privacy reasons, said that she and her partner noticed their son becoming increasingly exhausted, losing weight and passing blood in his stools—the most alarming symptom to the parents.
"After that, things seemed to deteriorate quite quickly," Sophie told Newsweek. "He began complaining of stomach pain, which at times was so severe it left him doubled over. His appetite decreased, he started losing weight and he was needing the toilet much more frequently. That really frightened us."
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The active toddler she knew began struggling to keep up with daily life, developing symptoms that eventually led doctors to diagnose him with ulcerative colitis—a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine.
Concerned, the family pushed for further testing. A stool sample revealed an extremely elevated fecal calprotectin level—a marker of intestinal inflammation—and he was referred to hospital.
"It was the moment everything started to move very fast," Sophie said.
Before receiving a diagnosis, the symptoms had already transformed the boy's daily life. The fatigue was particularly difficult to watch.
"He didn’t have the energy to play like he normally would and just wasn’t himself," Sophie said. "He couldn’t walk very far without asking to be carried or wanting to sit in his pushchair, which was heartbreaking to see at his age."
The family spent weeks navigating doctor's appointments, hospital visits and investigations while caring for a baby at home.
Much of the ordeal unfolded over Christmas 2025, a time that Sophie said was especially emotional given how excited her son had been for the holidays.
Most of Christmas and New Year were spent in hospital after he developed a severe flare-up.
Although he briefly returned home for Christmas Day, his condition worsened and he was readmitted with dehydration.
An urgent endoscopy and colonoscopy performed in January 2026 finally provided answers. Biopsies confirmed ulcerative colitis.
"Receiving the diagnosis brought very mixed emotions," Sophie said. "There was relief because we finally had an answer and knew what we were dealing with, but there was also an overwhelming sense of fear and heartbreak."
Doctors explained that ulcerative colitis is uncommon in children so young, leaving Sophie and her family grappling with difficult questions about what the future might hold.
"Overnight, I felt like I went from being his mom to becoming a researcher, an advocate, a nurse, and someone who needed to find a strength and bravery I never knew I had," she said.
Treatment began with an eight-week course of prednisone. While he initially improved, symptoms returned after the medication ended.
Over the following months he was treated with sulfasalazine before starting azathioprine and infliximab infusions.
In June, the family finally received the news they had been hoping for: his fecal calprotectin levels had returned to normal, suggesting his ulcerative colitis was entering remission.
"Hearing that he was entering remission was an incredibly emotional moment for us," Sophie said. "After everything he has endured, seeing him regain his energy and start to feel like himself again has been the biggest relief."
While she knows challenges may still lie ahead, Sophie hopes that sharing her son's ulcerative colitis journey on TikTok (@sophiep02020) will help other parents recognize potential warning signs and seek answers sooner.
Sophie said the family has learned that remission does not always mean symptoms disappear completely.
A recent setback served as a reminder of how unpredictable ulcerative colitis can be, and how difficult it can be to navigate the condition in such a young child.
"His strength has amazed us every step of the way," Sophie said. "We hold on to hope, celebrate every good day and never take a second for granted."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang
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