Rhys Rigione-Pisone is an IBD Warrior from the Hawkes Bay. During the month of May he decided to fundraise for CCNZ by doing 31 push-ups per day for the month of May.

“I never really knew how to manage it and there wasn’t a community that I could go to where I could learn the knowledge and skill needed to fight back”. Since then, like most IBD Warriors, he’s had multiple visits to the hospital, two surgeries and a close shave. “CCNZ is one of the only charities in Aotearoa that supports IBD patients as well as kids with IBD. That’s something I didn’t have when I was young, so I wanted to support and give back to a charity that would grow the IBD community and help more Warriors” says Rhys.

Rhys named his fundraiser “The Purple Push-Up Challenge”. It was a social media driven campaign for CCNZ that ran throughout the month of May, coinciding with IBD Awareness Month and World IBD Day on May 19th. His goal was to raise money for CCNZ, create awareness for IBD, as well as foster open and frank conversations about the disease so others didn’t feel alone. 

Rhys was originally going to do crunches to simulate the abdominal pains that people experience with IBD, but then found out he needed surgery. He therefore decided to do push ups instead, inviting others to join in. 

During the month he also invited others with IBD to share their stories and get their input on subjects that he and others wanted to learn more about. 

Rhys spoke with Sam @machinegunkitty_, Belinda @belindabrown6448, and Robert @livingwithcrohnsdisease, who each gave their unique perspectives on the disease which inspired some great conversations.

Check out Rhys’ Instagram to view the interviews @crohnsmavrick.

Rhys finished each talk and interview by completing the 31 Push-ups (to represent the strength an IBD warrior has).

Rhys raised $365.00 for Crohn’s and Colitis New Zealand and completed 961 push ups.

We would like to thank Rhys for his hard work and dedication to CCNZ. He is looking forward to attending as a first-time volunteer at Camp Purple Live 2021.