Surgery gave Luke a second chance at life, now he lives each day to the fullest
A man from East Belfast has opened up about how getting a stoma bag when he was born saved his life, and how he's never let it hold him back.
Luke took to social media on October 1 for Stoma Awareness Day on to share his experience and raise awareness, as well as reassuring anyone who may find themselves needing a colostomy bag. "But it must be terrifying for someone who's lived maybe 20, 30 years or whatever it is, to then be told they're getting a stoma bag. If somebody came and told me they were taking the stoma bag away, I think I would have the same fear. That's the people I'm trying to reach out to.
"It'll actually make you appreciate life more, because that's what a stoma bag is - a second chance at life." "I think of how scared my parents must have been, my mum was 17 and my dad was 19, they were only babies themselves back then. For them to be told their child wasn't going to last the first 24 hours of life, it must have been horrifying," Luke continued.
He said: "The comments I appreciated most have been from people with stoma bags messaging to say they've always been a bit down on themselves and afraid, who've said the post has lifted a massive weight off their shoulders. I feel like the more people who come out and talk about their experiences, the more normalised this will become in the future.
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