Alnwick stoma swimmer providing assistance to Kenyan women

Gill Castle, who successfully swam the English Channel despite having a stoma, has established a charity to support women in Kenya who have had a colostomy. The BBC recently accompanied her on a trip to Africa to meet some of the women she is assisting. One of the women she met is sixteen-year-old Sesita, who comes from a poor, rural area and has not received any formal education. Sesita was married at a young age to an older man and gave birth at the age of 15, resulting in the death of her baby and severe injuries that required two stomas. Sesita finds it difficult to talk about her experience, but she hopes that sharing her story will highlight the need for assistance for women like her. Gill Castle learned about the situation facing Kenyan women through an American charity called Beyond Fistula, which collaborates with a hospital in Eldoret. Fistula, an internal hole often caused by childbirth, commonly affects impoverished women who cannot afford healthcare. The hospital offers free surgery to address the condition. Gill herself acquired her stoma after experiencing a fistula and a severe tear during the birth of her son. When she visited the hospital in July 2022, she met Sesita while the young girl was recuperating from her stoma surgery. Gill showed Sesita her own stoma bag, and Sesita was overjoyed, realizing that Gill had also undergone a similar procedure. Gill's charity, Chameleon Buddies, has provided Sesita with an opportunity to train as a seamstress back at the hospital. Another woman Gill met is named Rose. She underwent a colostomy operation in 2020 and struggled to accept her stoma and understand how to use the bags. Rose's daughter initially assisted her with stoma care, but when she had to return to college, Rose found it challenging to manage on her own, often using multiple bags in a day. Stoma bags are expensive in Kenya, costing up to 1,000 Kenyan shillings each, which is unaffordable for many individuals. As a result, some women resort to using plastic bags or other makeshift solutions, which leads to isolation and prevents them from leaving their homes or working. Gill has collected unwanted bags from the UK and donated them to the Gynocare hospital in Eldoret to alleviate this issue. Gill also met Grace, a 37-year-old mother of four who had a colostomy operation and discovered she had colon cancer. Grace explains that there is a significant stigma surrounding fistulas and stomas in Kenyan culture, causing women to feel embarrassed and avoid discussing their experiences. Attending the workshop and meeting other women has helped Grace overcome her embarrassment and feel hopeful about her future. Gill Castle's journey as the first person to swim the English Channel with a stoma is chronicled in a documentary called "The Stoma Swimmer," which is available on BBC iPlayer (only accessible in the UK).