We release our second podcast episode hosted by BBC’s George Alagiah
BBC journalist George Alagiah discusses how he adapted to life with a temporary stoma during the second episode of ‘In conversation with George Alagiah: A Bowel Cancer UK podcast’.
This builds on the success of the charity’s first episode about living well with advanced bowel cancer.
In this episode, George interviews Andrea Robson, 39 from London, who has stage two bowel cancer and a stoma, along with her stoma nurse Lisa Allison, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pouch Care at Northwick Park and St Mark’s Hospital, London, on managing a stoma.
During the episode, Andrea and George share their experiences on how they adapted to life with a stoma and how they felt when they were told they would need one, with George saying “you’re already struggling with cancer and then you’ve got this whole thing to deal with”.
George also opens up about how he found using a disabled toilet to be challenging, saying ‘‘I didn’t look disabled and I would be using the special key (for a disabled loo) and if there was a line of people and someone was more obviously disabled, I would feel very embarrassed and that I had to explain myself.”
In the podcast Clinical Nurse Specialist Lisa Allison explains what a stoma is, when a patient may need one and how to care for it, as well as offering expert advice on living with a stoma.
Dr Lisa Wilde, Director of Research and External Affairs of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “We have had such an amazing response to our podcast so far, and our second episode does not disappoint. We’re incredibly grateful to George and Andrea for sharing their experiences and for Lisa for her expert advice on stoma care to raise awareness during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
“Our podcast forms part of our #thisisbowelcancer campaign, which aims to shine a light on the varied and many people affected by the disease. Around 268,000 people living in the UK today have been diagnosed with bowel cancer. But these podcasts emphasise that it doesn’t just impact the person diagnosed. It affects families, friends and colleagues, doctors and nurses, scientists and researchers. That’s millions of people right across the UK. We want everyone affected by bowel cancer to come together and take action to help create a future where nobody dies of the disease.”
We'll launch our third, and final, episode of this series on Thursday 25 April about caring for someone with bowel cancer.
- Listen to ‘In conversation with George Alagiah: A Bowel Cancer UK’ podcast with Andrea Robson on managing a stoma
- Get involved in Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
- Read our Real Life Stories of people who are affected by the disease
