Have you got the guts?

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable and
share your story today

#auguts

Get comfortable with the uncomfortable

Life is full of awkward moments. It’s up to you how to face them. You can hide from them, but it won’t help. It’s better to face them up and laugh through the awkwardness. Once you’re past the first one, it gets easier each time.

Can you find your way past your awkward moment, and change your life for the better? Do you have the guts to get the help and support you need from your doctor, friends, and family?

When you find a way to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, you pass that initial moment of awkwardness. It means you can say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done. That’s when you find the help you need.

Have you got the guts?

Our Stories

Dee

I had the APPEAR procedure under Professor Williams in 2003. I was 29 when I was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

Rebecca, 36

Having a stoma has been a blessing for me. I remember walking past a toilet at a hospital appointment, soon after having my stoma surgery, and laughing to myself that I didn’t have to make a mental note of where the nearest loo was when previously it was likely chance that I’d have to run there!

Simon

Life is full of surprises. Life is not a return to normal. Life is not full of us who can apparently easily deal with a stoma.

Angie

Never again will I miss the now regular screenings!

Sheilagh

I was at my healthiest – so I thought – & fittest for years. Then bang – poo stick test.

Debbie, 69

I saw 3 different GPs in my practice over 8 months with blood in the stool.

Lauraine, 62

I have generally found it’s best to be open and honest with people. For many years I would be too embarrassed to use disabled loos as I don’t look disabled! I eventually got over that and am pleased to say that I’ve never been challenged.

Suzanne, 49

I absolutely wear my bikini with pride! My body survived what tried to kill it and that’s great! Nothing can detract from that for me personally.

Shirley

I was diagnosed with ischaemic colitis in 2017.

Kay

A colonoscopy saved my life. They found 5 polyps and a stage 2 tumour.

Carol, 76

I don’t have a diagnosed illness aside from old age. Walking seems to set my bowels off and I have no control.

Kurona

I had grown up with the belief that you weren’t supposed to talk about how you go to the toilet, especially as I was a girl.

Robin, 60

Just going to the doctor to report bowel symptoms is already a leap in the overcoming of embarrassment.

Sarah, 57

For the first time in three years, I had a normal poo and I phoned up my Stoma nurse straight away. I was proud but relieved that something so normal had returned.

Sharon, 44

I decided that I wasn’t going to be embarrassed anymore. I wasn’t going to hide because there’s nothing to be ashamed of.

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Sam, 34

I’m happy to tell anyone anything, but it’s often up to the patient to start that conversation. The ‘bottom’ line is everybody poops.

Mo, 39

If you are going through a bowel cancer diagnosis you’ll find there’s an extremely friendly community out there on social media or online.

Kerenza, 27

Whilst I can laugh about it now, I’ve had plenty of accidents over the years. The treatments made such a difference and let me enjoy my teenage years.

Eric, 59

Through the support of my wife, I turned a corner. Even if you don’t talk to a wide audience, talk to friends or people who’ve been in the same position.

Adeline, 44

I had chemo during the pandemic, I joked it was the best time for it because I couldn’t go anywhere anyway. I’m happy to say I’m now in remission.

Susan, 58

People think ‘I don’t want a stoma’, but actually, I can do everything now that I could do before.

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