Stoma Swimmer Leading Trek For Kenyan Women

In September 2023, Gill Castle became the first person with a stoma to swim the channel and now she is embarking on a new challenge. She is leading 16 women – most of whom have suffered birth trauma, or have a stoma, or both – up Africa’s highest mountain.

It is a bright, sunny autumn day when we meet in a gravel car park in the Simonside Hills in Northumberland.

Four women, dressed in the pink and blue colours of Mrs Castle’s charity Chameleon Buddies, are throwing rucksacks on to their backs for a training day, ahead of their hike up Kilimanjaro in a fortnight’s time.

“We’ll make our way along the ridge and then up to the top where we should get a fantastic view – we’ve got fantastic weather for it,” Mrs Castle says.

Mrs Castle had a colostomy after she was injured during the birth of her son in 2011.

Since then, she has proved that having a stoma does not have to stop people doing amazing things.

Having posted videos of her swimming with her stoma during the pandemic, she built links with a hospital in Eldoret, in western Kenya, which helps women there with stomas.

These women are often unable to access stoma bags and have limited access to medical help.

So when Mrs Castle became the first woman with a stoma to swim the channel, it was to raise awareness of their struggle and to raise money to help them.

She now travels to the Gynocare Hospital regularly to run support groups as part of her own charity Chameleon Buddies.

Mrs Castle says the decision to climb Kilimanjaro was partly because she “loves a challenge”, but also because she wanted to help other women.

“I wanted to give other people the opportunity to challenge themselves, like I have, and take on the baton and take that up the mountain for all these other women that we are going to support in Kenya.”

Among those training is Julia Robinson, from Allendale, in Northumberland.

Ms Robinson, who turned 40 this year, has been inspired by Mrs Castle’s can-do attitude.

Her son was stillborn in 2015, which she said led to her colitis “taking control” of her and causing her to stay at home due to the pain.

She had two more healthy children, who are now aged five and seven, and in 2021 she was offered a stoma.

“I was unsure at the time but ultimately it’s the best thing I have ever had, it’s given my life back,” Ms Robinson says.

“So this is a challenge to say ‘life’s still got a lot to give’.”

Liz Hinds, from Alnwick, is 54 and has Crohn’s disease.

She had an ileostomy more than two decades ago when she was very ill.

“I’ve never spoke about it in 22 years to anyone, until I met Gill Castle,” Ms Hinds says.

“I’d never shown anyone. My family knew I’d had it, but for me it was a very hidden, quiet thing which I’ve lived with.

“I think at that time I was very young and it wasn’t well known and you didn’t have the support.

“And so for me it always felt a bit of a stigma – for the first time suddenly I’m talking about it openly.”

Ms Hinds is now a trustee of Chameleon Buddies and has visited the hospital in Kenya with Mrs Castle.

She says she feels “humble to suddenly realise how much we have here” and “blessed” to give something back, adding that anyone with a stoma should not let it define them.

Mrs Castle says when they reach the top of the mountain it will be “epic”.

“I know how much it means to everybody to make it to the top and what everyone has gone through in order to get there,” she said.

“So I can’t wait.”

When asked what the Kenyan women thought of it all, Mrs Castle says while they thought it was “crazy”, it was also emotional for them.

“They know what our women on the trek are putting themselves through for them,” she says.

“The temperatures on the summit can down to -15C (5F), so you are talking about people trying to fumble with a stoma bag when it’s really, really cold.

“But I do think everyone is regarding this as sort of a metaphorical mountain for their own trauma.”