I was about 16 years old when I started feeling unwell. My symptoms consisted of continuous trips to the toilet and an upset stomach.  I remember being in extreme pain all of the time. Things progressed very quickly and I remember waking up each day feeling worse.

I visited my GP many times and was continuously misdiagnosed. I never seemed to get any answers, and I continued to become more and more unwell. I had lost three stone in under two months. Not only was the pain internal but it was also very clear from the outside that I was very unwell, and this particularly started to impact my mental health.

Toilet accidents were becoming increasingly frequent, and if I couldn’t find a loo when I was out, I was in real trouble. As you can imagine, it was really starting to affect day to day life, and sometimes I felt like I couldn’t even leave the house.

Eventually, I ended up in hospital in January 2011, where I had an array of tests to pinpoint the cause of my constant pain. Doctors told me that I had Crohn’s, and after starting immediate treatment, for around 3 weeks we discussed resections, potential stoma surgery and planning for surgery. My IBD team were the first people to tell me what a stoma was. The first time I heard about what it was, I immediately said I didn’t want one. It sounded incredibly daunting, and I was so worried about how I would adapt to my new body – especially with being so young.

By February, I had developed toxic megacolon and had to be rushed for emergency surgery. This was also when I was told that it wasn’t Crohn’s that I had, but it was actually Colitis. I believe the main reason I wasn’t responding well to treatment was that I had actually been given the wrong diagnosis in the first place.

I woke up, and to my surprise I was greeted by a stoma. Seeing it for the first time was incredibly difficult for me to come to terms with. I couldn’t believe that I’d woken up with a new part of my body attached to me. It was charities such as Crohn’s & Colitis UK that helped me to adjust, and meeting other people my age with a stoma, too. My total hospital stay ended up being around 5 weeks, and I was in a wheelchair for a month after that.

Despite all of this going on, I still managed to secure my place at university, and I am incredibly proud of that. That being said, it was very hard navigating my new diagnosis and still experiencing flare-ups, especially at a time in my life where I should have been out doing whatever I wanted.

Although I was extremely grateful to be alive and for my stoma for essentially saving my life, it was still a massive change that I had to live with. In all, I’ve had about three surgeries now, and despite being in and out of hospital, I still managed to graduate, which I couldn’t believe!

I don’t think I started living my life until I had my stoma, and although I found it hard mentally to come to terms with initially, sometimes I wish I’d had my surgery much sooner than I did. Since having my stoma, I’ve had some truly incredible experiences. I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Johannesburg where I helped build two homes for families living in poverty – a true once-in-a-lifetime trip which was incredibly rewarding.

These are only a few examples of the things I’ve been able to accomplish thanks to my stoma. As you might have guessed, I have plans for that list to get longer!

My condition still affects my life, but I am so proud of my resilience and what I have achieved. I will continue to advocate for others and am extremely grateful for what Crohn’s & Colitis UK does for our community.