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Kirsty's Story | #CancerSurvivorsDay
Kirsty was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at just 10 years old.
In her early twenties, doctors advised her that surgery might be necessary, which could include the possibility of a stoma. At the time, she was also told it might impact her fertility, she and her husband wanted to start a family, so she chose to delay her surgery.
After the birth of her two children, Kirsty tried to manage her Crohn’s symptoms with biologic treatments, she was unfortunately still going to the toilet up to 20 times a day, which made everyday life tough — especially trying to juggle her work and looking after her two young boys
She feels the message can sometimes be either one end of the spectrum saying life with a stoma is easy or conversely life is very difficult. Unfortunately, Kirsty still suffers with Crohn’s symptoms, however, since having her stoma, she feels her life is more in balance.
In 2023, during what was meant to be a routine colonoscopy, Kirsty received unexpected and devastating news — she had anal cancer.
At just 32 years old, the diagnosis came as a shock, not only because of her age but also the rarity of the condition in someone so young.
Chemotherapy and radio therapy were given to her as treatment options, the side effects of both were very drastic, so she investigated further with her clinical team and the alternative decision to have stoma surgery was made. Kirsty then had her surgery, where a large chunk of her bowel was removed and her stoma formed.
Due to the surgical team removing so much of her bowel, her stoma began to work quickly. Unfortunately, Kirsty suffered with a wound around her surgical site which extended her recovery time to around 5 months. With her stoma and bag feeling very “alien” at first, she soon got to grips with changing her bag and her health began to improve.
After a short period using another bag, her stoma nurses introduced her to Confidence BE®, from the moment she tried them, she has never looked back. Kirsty found her previous bag felt noisy, making her feel extremely self-conscious, whereas she describes Confidence BE® as discreet and secure. On a recent trip to Disneyland with her family she felt confident and fully able to enjoy her family time
Kirsty recently became part of the brand advocate family, with the hope of raising more awareness of anal cancer, she feels this is a condition that’s just not talked about enough. Knowing firsthand how isolating a diagnosis can feel, Kirsty hopes that by sharing her story, she can raise awareness and help others feel less alone. Today, she lives with her husband and two young children in Manchester.
For more information on National Cancer Survivor’s Day, visit their website here.
