To many, I’m a Normal 45 year old male who loves footy, the great outdoors, has a terrific career in Sales and is fortunate to travel around Australia and Africa for a living. 

But underneath the clothes lies a permanent colostomy bag after being diagnosed with bowel cancer in the rectum in April 2014. 

This was a secondary cancer after beating cancer at the age of 8, being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lympthoma . 

The cancer cells were detected in two polyps found in the large intestine and rectum and after two colonoscopies they couldn’t be removed. So I had to have an Ileostomy which was the complete removal of the large intestine.

Five years on I continue to battle niggling issues such as Gastritis and Prostatitis but I’m still smiling and soldering on. 

I was very lucky to have had it detected via very low iron levels after a blood test prior to going to work in Africa. However if I had not have had the blood test, I would have had no idea. So I tell all my friends and family to see a GP for a blood test once a year and be fully checked out. 

My advice - Keep on top of the Stoma and health. Following the advice from the Surgeon and Stoma Nurse of the safe foods and drink; the Stoma doesn’t discriminate, and it can spoil the party when something eaten isn’t right.

Also, wearing a harness to prevent a parastomal hernia does help to prevent any ongoing pain and let you enjoy life as comfortably and freely as possible . Making contact with social groups with fellow Ostomates is a great way of being of help to others when things aren’t going so well, and you know there is someone you can speak to.