George Alagiah talks about his guilt on using a disabled toilet with no visible disability!
- BBC newsreader George Alagiah had stage 4 bowel cancer.
- And, as part of his treatment process, George had a stoma (opening) made from his stomach to the outside to which a bag was attached.
- The bag is used to collect the feces.
Recently he was on a Bowel Cancer UK podcast and talked about his guilt about using a disabled toilet when he had no visible disability.
George Alagiah and bowel cancer
Doctors diagnosed colorectal cancer on George in April 2014. He completed his treatment for the disease and returned to work on 10 November 2015.
But in January 2018, his treating physicians told him that his cancer has, come back and he requires to undergo further treatment.
George, 63 had a full one-year course and rejoined BBC in January 2019. But he had a temporary stoma in between which now his surgeons removed after he underwent the complete pull-through operation on his bowel.
George Alagiah talks about his guilt
George was on the Bowel Cancer UK’s podcast. He told about his guilt of using a disabled toilet when he had no visible disability.
He said:
“I used to find it difficult. I had a stoma but I didn’t look disabled. And I would be turning the key in a disabled loo in a motorway service station or something.”
“And if there was a queue and somebody obviously disabled (was there), I used to feel guilty. I felt like I needed to apologise and explain.”
“The reason you need to go into a disabled loo is that you just need a little bit of space. The contents of your blue bag has to be out and the sanitising equipment is to be used”
The new campaign to remove such guilt feelings
Hence, Charity Crohn’s & Colitis UK has started a new campaign wherein they have called on putting up a new signboard on public disabled toilets which will explain that not all disabilities are visible.
The football club Tottenham Hotspur was the first place to put up this signboard on the public disabled toilet in 2017.
George Alagiah also talks about his suit adjustments
Additionally, George had to change his outfits and also adjust his clothes to accommodate the stoma bag. He had to wear braces. George also spoke about his concern about returning the feces bag for work.
He said:
“I [was] always looking around at my colleagues and thinking, ‘Can they smell anything, can they hear anything?”‘
The bag is hidden and the bag manufacturers take care of this aspect in the design of the bag. But George could face this trouble if the bag leaks which is rarely the case.
Also, read Sue Grafton dies at 77 due to cancer of the appendix! Know about her work, family, and tributes!
Dr. Lisa Wilde, from Bowel Cancer UK, said:
“We know that many of our supporters face everyday challenges to manage their stoma. One of these is accessing disabled toilets, since the stoma is not a visible disability.
“We’re determined to improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer. And to help people live well with a stoma.”
Source: BBC UK
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Posted on: Thursday, June 30 2022
