BELIEF
BRITTANI NICHOLL
SALLY WOOD
E
Ever since her Dad took her for a paddle at age 12, Brittani Nicholl has been on a mission to make a name for
herself in the international surfing scene.
It didn’t take long for her to make her mark. Early on, she joined an all-girls boardriders club on the Gold
Coast and started competing in regional and state events for New South Wales as a Tweed Coast resident. Success at
these events pushed her towards grom events, Pro Juniors and eventually World Qualifying events.
She took out the Under 19 Pairs Australian National Title
with Sally Fitzgibbons at the 2005 Australian Junior Surfing
Titles. She won the Open Women’s New South Wales State
Title three years in a row, from 2009 to 2011, and in 2011
she added the Open Women’s Australian National Title to her
trophy cabinet.
In 2013, Brittani moved up to 24th on WQS rankings and
her career reached new highs in 2016 when she was invited to
represent Australia at the ISA World Surfing Games. Brittani is
currently preparing to represent Australia in the 2017 Games
in Biarritz, France.
What most people would never guess is that Brittani
achieved all this whilst battling a debilitating disease.
At the age of seven, Brittani was diagnosed with Crohn’s
disease - a Iifelong, gastrointestinal disorder for which there
is no cure. Over five million people live with Crohn’s disease
and ulcerative colitis—collectively known as Inflammatory
Bowel Disease (IBD)—worldwide. 75,000 of these people are
Australians. In fact, Australia has one of the highest rates of
IBD prevalence and incidence in the world.
The disease inflames the gut and causes the bowel to
052 | Issue 16 // Winter 2017
After being in and out of hospitals
over the years I was eventually told
the news at the age of 16 that major
surgery was inevitable.
become swollen, tender, red and hot. The bowel can’t
function normally and sufferers are forced to contend with a
range of problems, from diarrhoea, bleeding and profound
fatigue, through to weight loss, anaemia, bowel obstruction
and incredible pain.
The disease can become so severe that hospitalisation is
required and many people affected by Crohn’s and other IBDs
require surgery. The nature of the acute symptoms affect an
individual’s ability to work, study and establish relationships,
let alone compete in any sport at a professional level.
Brittani’s journey since her initial diagnosis has been marked
by continual stages of recovery and relapse, a story to which
all sufferers of IBD can relate.