Being initially diagnosed with bowel cancer in Dec 2024 did come as a huge shock, but while I accepted that I had cancer, what was to follow was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome physically and mentally. Especially as I had no real symptoms until it had got to an advanced stage.

In my mind cancer was curable so this was no big drama, bit of chemotherapy and that would sort it out.

I was completely unaware of how far gone the cancer had progressed, until I was told that it was stage 3, and I would require emergency surgery,

Even then I was ok with all this, open me up remove the tumour and sow me back up again.

It was then when in hospital waiting for surgery that the first mention of being left with a stoma.

This was when I felt that things were now completely out of my control. How would I cope with a bag attached to me, what would be the reaction of family and friends and other people around me, how would this affect my career, would I even be able to run again and live a normal life. I suppose I was very naive to the whole stoma scenario.

The stoma nurse came and measured me up for siting of the bag and even though she seemed confident and reassuring about all this I was far from convinced.

Waking from surgery things were a little blurry, I remember putting my hand down and feeling the bag and felt completely helpless, didn’t even want to pull my gown aside to look at it.

It was then that I found out that things were not all as they had seemed prior to surgery, the tumour had attached to bladder (some of which was removed), and had breached the inner wall of my bowel, stage 4 and in the words of my surgeon “I was a ticking time bomb”

This really changed my complete outlook, I was alive and extremely lucky to still be here, and now had to accept that my life was with a bag

In the words of Mr Colitiscrohns “The bag is not the story, but the reason I can continue MY story”

It’s not been easy adapting to wearing a bag 24hrs a day but gradually realising slowly, as I recovered that it wasn’t going to prevent me from living a normal life

Being in the horse racing industry I liken the whole experience to a jumps race clearing one hurdle at a time before crossing the winning line. I’ve yet to cross that finish line but will keep clearing each hurdle encountered in this battle against cancer.

Therefore I'm taking on the South Downs Way 100 mile race with my bag to set a record for the fastest 100 mile run with a stoma bag, along side Bowel Cancer UK raising funds while promoting awareness and break down the stigma around stomas.

Don't let the stigma of a stoma stand in your way

Bowel Cancer UK

We’re the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity.

We fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

We’re here to stop people dying of bowel cancer.