Award for Brighton Crohn's disease swimmer A man with the inflammatory bowel condition Crohn's disease and severe arthritis is to receive an award after he fought his condition and went on to swim the Channel. Three years ago, Rob Starr, of Brighton, could only walk with a stick. The 44-year-old, who stopped taking drugs when he found sea swimming helped to manage his pain, said: "We've all got a choice. We can get up and we can carry on or we can let it beat us. He will receive an award from the Primary Care Trust on Thursday.