HOW I GET FIT DONE
After 13 years battling ulcerative colitis, getting a stoma bag was life-changing for Sarah Smith, 31, a personal trainer and cheerleading coach from Leicester
How one PT is fighting stoma bag stigma with fitness
I was 11 when I fell in love with cheerleading and, not long after, I started cheering competitively. I loved being part of a team, as well as the physical exertion (it’s tough), and I kept it up even after I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in April 2006, aged 16. I’d battled with severe stomach pain and digestive problems for years before I was finally diagnosed with the incurable disease, which causes you to develop ulcers in the lining of your colon. Steroid medication helped, but flare-ups left me dashing to the nearest loo, where I’d be in agony for hours – sometimes more than once a day – for weeks or months on end. It was traumatic, but I was lucky to have an amazing support system in my close friends and my now-wife. I was never fully well, but I worked hard to live a ‘normal’ life – one that included staying active.
It was shortly after my honeymoon, in September 2018, that I became severely unwell. A bad flare-up left me in near-constant pain and, in April 2019, I was admitted to hospital. There, tests revealed my colon was no longer able to remove waste from my body. I needed an ileostomy – much of my affected bowel would be removed, my small intestine rerouted to a stoma bag that collected my waste outside my body. I was devastated; I’d always known I might need one some day, but it had always been presented to me as a last resort.
During the five-hour operation, doctors used two keyhole incisions and a two-inch slice beneath my belly button to cut away my large intestine, and pulled my small intestine out through the stoma site, which is on the bottom right of my stomach. I was in hospital for 17 days, where a nurse taught me how to empty and change my bag.
Back home, I came to terms with this new way of life; it didn’t help that I couldn’t exercise – I wasn’t
Since last February, I’ve been doing three or four 45 to 60-minute circuit workouts at home a week – usually one upper body, one lower body and one full body. At first, I was using 1.5kg dumbbells; now I’m up to 5kg. And though I stopped cheerleading competitively to focus on my health in 2018, it hasn’t diminished my love for the sport. My friend and I formed the Entity Allstars in August 2019, and now we have around 45 to 50 athletes who compete against other teams in their age groups. Last year, I started an Instagram account, @positively_stella, to show that fit bodies come in many shapes and sizes, and to remove some of the stigma attached to stomas. Mine has given me control over something that ruled me for almost half my life. I can work, travel and exercise without fear. I’m the healthiest – and happiest – I’ve ever been.
What’s that? One lone hair on my teenage armpit. I eagerly pluck it away, only for more to grow in its place. Before, I’d giggled in science class at photos of the human body covered in hair. Now, it was my everyday reality.
My early body-hair experience was influenced by my faith. Hair removal is part of an Islamic focus on purity and cleanliness, my mother explained to me at a young age. As Muslims, we’re encouraged to remove the hair on certain parts of our bodies at least every 40 days. It soon became a familiar part of my self-care routine and, for me, it boosted my confidence.
Born in Sudan and raised in Yorkshire, growing up I felt my identity was split in two. Wherever I went, I struggled to fit in. Very few women on TV or in magazines looked like me, so my dreams of becoming an athlete felt out of reach.
Eventually it was poetry that gave my individuality a voice, allowing me to express different sides of myself. Over time, it helped me realise that
I didn’t have to fit in. I found confidence in what makes me me.
I learned to appreciate my body and use it to my advantage, letting my sporty side thrive while never forsaking my faith. I always wear my hijab when I play basketball – which fuelled me to successfully overturn a ban on religious headgear in professional basketball, one of my proudest moments. Why should women have to compromise on our beliefs? It’s my body, my choice.
When it comes to hair removal, I still love that feeling of silky smooth skin, but I’ve discovered smart ways to make it a breeze. An at-home IPL device means my legs stay smoother for longer – no nicks, no pain and no regrowth for up to six months. Even though most people never see my legs or armpits, I do it just for me.
Perhaps there’s a young girl out there who needs to see a confident, professional Muslim woman, just like I did as a child. Here’s hoping she’ll read this and realise that her uniqueness can be a game-changer, too.