TACKLING STEREOTYPES. A DISABILITY YOU CAN’T SEE; ME AND MY STOMAS.

Sarah Sutton, 111 Senior Clinical Advisor, is opening up about the diagnosis that left her with a life-long disability, to raise awareness and banish the stereotypes that still linger for people with disabilities.

Seven years ago, Sarah was working as a nurse at Royal Blackburn Hospital. She loved her job, caring for patients, knowing she was making a difference, and helping people when they needed help the most. However, in 2015, she fell ill. She told us, “I started experiencing severe pains in my stomach, irregular bleeding and discharge. I went to the doctors and after tests, I was told I had vaginal cancer. They told me it was an aggressive cancer, so I needed to start treatment immediately. It was a shock but I was determined to beat it. I underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy.”

After her treatment concluded, Sarah was told that because of the aggressive treatment, her bladder and bowel had been damaged so it was likely she would need a stoma bag in the future. She explained, “I was fine the year following my treatments, but it was in 2017 when I started with incontinence and I knew having a urostomy was going to be the only solution. A few months later, I had surgery to fit the stoma bag. It was a difficult time. After my surgery, I developed pneumonia and sepsis, so it was a scary few weeks.

“A year after, I then had to have a colostomy also. I found adjusting to living with a colostomy was a lot harder than the urostomy. It was very hard to manage both and I found it very difficult at first, both physically and emotionally.”

In between her surgeries and after she had recovered, Sarah still worked as a nurse. However, after her stoma operations, her working environment became one she could no longer work in. Reluctantly, she gave up the job she loved.

Just a few short months later, Sarah applied for a job at 111, and after a successful interview, she began her new career as a senior clinical advisor.

She told us, “The support I have received from my managers has been incredible, I can’t fault them. From the very first week, I have been fully supported.”

Although she is well supported at work and her colleagues are understanding of her disability, unfortunately, Sarah has faced some grief from people outside of work. She explained, “From the very first day, I have had comments from people when using lifts. After my surgeries, I used a lift and someone actually said to me “you don’t need to use a lift.”

I have also had problems when using disabled toilets. Because people can’t see my stoma bags, they can’t understand why I would be using a disabled toilet and have frequently, voiced their opinions. This has made me feel embarrassed, ashamed and upset. Even in today’s society people still do not recognise that all disabilities are not always visible.”

Sarah is now on a mission to raise awareness of disabilities, especially those that you cannot see. She said, “I try, where possible, to raise awareness of disabilities like mine. I think it is important because there are still so many people who hide the fact that they have a stoma due to feeling embarrassed or ashamed. Although I have felt like this, I have learned to accept my disability and use it to raise awareness and educate people rather than it be something I am ashamed of.”

Emergency Medical Advisor Barry is excited about the opportunities he has in his life. He is a recovering alcoholic, sober and in recovery since Friday 13 March 2020. Since then, he has turned his life around and taking 999 calls is something he believes he was born to do. He hopes that by sharing his story he can inspire those struggling with addiction that life can and will get better if you want it to.

Barry recalls having had problems with alcohol for a long time before his sobriety date, drinking heavily for the last 40 years. However, changes in his personal life led to his drinking escalating out of control.

“I had left my marital home, bought a narrowboat and moved onto it in January 2019. From this moment I started drinking day and night, and not eating. My alcohol consumption was spiralling and my health was deteriorating. I had no intention of stopping drinking. That was until 13 March at 10:13pm when little did I know, I had my last drink. Markedly it was the same time of day my daughter was born.

“I am not sure what happened on March 14, I didn’t wake up that day planning not to drink but I went 17 hours without a drink. At that point, I had become so ill I was with my sister and my condition was deteriorating. We had to call an ambulance.”

Barry’s body had gone into acute alcohol withdrawal, he was shaking violently in a way he could not stand up straight. He describes feeling like his head was going to explode as his blood pressure was dangerously high.

Paramedic Faye Preston and Emergency Medical Technician Barry Hall (pictured below) arrived to help Barry. “The ambulance crew turned up that day and it was the first time I told somebody the extent of my drinking. I believe their intervention saved my life and helped me get my life back on track for which I will forever be grateful.”

Barry was admitted to the hospital and says, “The moment I stepped over the threshold of the hospital, the desire to drink left me.”

He was discharged after two days, and his sister took him to an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. From this point, Barry attended hundreds of AA meetings over the course of the next couple of years joining sessions across the world via Zoom. Barry’s business took a back seat whilst he focussed on his recovery with abstinence being the only way forward for him. He had psychology and counselling sessions to help him recover.

“I kept myself sober by doing the things I needed to do to keep safe, not going to the pub, avoiding people who drink. For me giving up alcohol wasn’t the difficult part. It was understanding why I turned to drink in the first place.”

Eighteen months sober Barry met his partner who he describes as an amazing support to him: “She believed in me and when I started looking for work, she encouraged me to go for opportunities.”

In the summer of last year, Barry was searching for a job in which he could give something back: “I was struggling to find anything as being 59 and open and honest with my recovery and addiction was proving to be a barrier.”

Barry saw the job advert for emergency medical advisors pop up on his screen and knew instantly that this was what he has been looking for. “I worked hard to get an interview, get through the typing test whilst being very open and honest with the interviewees about my addiction and the fact I am a recovering alcoholic. I had extra blood tests to ensure I was able to do the job.

“When I got the job I was elated. North West Ambulance Service took the time to understand me as a person and saw a quality in me that I could make a good contribution to society. People in recovery do have value, they can make a difference and get a job.”

In October 2022, Barry recalls walking into the training classroom with people much younger than him: “I was older than most people but I really enjoyed it. I turned 60 in training and to have this job opportunity at my age I feel is amazing.

“I love the control room environment; it is the most fulfilling and rewarding job I could ask for and I feel fortunate and privileged to do it. I am passionate about championing mental health and have great empathy for people, particularly those with mental health conditions and addiction. There seems to be ignorance about alcoholism and addiction, everyone thinks you choose the drink but you don’t it is a disease.

“I am keen to show people that you can turn your life around and get an amazing job, I am living proof of it.”

Barry took his first call last month and whilst he said it was pretty daunting, he enjoyed it. “You have to care about people in this job and I do, I try to understand the person on the other end of the line and put myself in their position. My experience has helped shape the call handler I am and my new role has played a tremendously important part in my recovery.”

Laura Almond has her dream career working in a job where she feels she can make a difference. As a call handler in our NHS 111 service, she helps people get the right care they need. She is happy and content in her life with her husband and four beautiful, healthy children. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing.

Laura has struggled with mental health for as long as she can remember but never asked for help. She bravely opens up about her alcohol and drug addiction which stemmed from being in an emotionally abusive relationship.

“My ex-partner gaslighted me into thinking I was ugly and stupid. After years of being told this, I started to believe it. I started using alcohol as a crutch, drinking every night and then my partner introduced me to drugs. I spent years using drugs and alcohol to hide my mental health problems and to cover how much I disliked myself and my life.

“I knew I needed a way out, so I got a second job and started to hide money and was eventually able to get a new house for my children and I without him knowing.”

This is where Laura’s addiction became even worse as she struggled to raise three children alone with two jobs. Laura says using drugs gave her the energy to do this, but she hated who she was and the life she was leading. “I felt so alone, I put on this act that I was the happiest person in the world. I wanted everyone to believe I was a good mum and could raise my children on my own.”

It was at this point Laura got in contact with an old friend and built a wonderful loving relationship with him. “He was amazing with my children and had all the patience in the world regarding my mental health. He had no knowledge of my drug and alcohol addiction, nobody did. I was a fully functioning addict.

“I hid it from him for two years and I hated myself. I adored this man but I couldn’t be honest with him. I tried to end my life as I couldn’t cope the guilt and hatred I had for myself. I thought my children would be better off if I wasn’t here.”

Laura spent some time in hospital and attended acute therapy sessions which taught her skills to change her negative thought processes into positive ones as well as how to handle her emotions. sadly, on completing her training Laura still felt lost and reverted straight back.

Covid soon hit and Laura’s lockdown drinking and drug taking became out of control. Laura made a second attempt to take her own life, suffering a cardiac arrest, then being revived, receiving further treatment in hospital. ”While on the ward, I had no contact with the outside world, my partner rang the hospital and stated that I had to stop drinking and taking drugs and get the help I desperately needed.

“From my hospital bed, I contacted Inspire and the mental health team. I desperately wanted to change and make my partner and my children proud of me.

“I was discharged home under the mental health team and drug and alcohol rehabilitation team. Lockdown and isolation was the best thing that could have happened to me. I quit smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs immediately. I had some serious making up to do to get my children, my family and my partner to trust me again.”

Five weeks later Laura discovered she was pregnant with her fourth child. “I was put under the perinatal mental health team and had my own drug and alcohol rehabilitation midwife. The support and care I received was amazing.

“Six months into my pregnancy lockdown had lifted, I couldn’t shake the feeling something bad was going to happen to either me or my baby. My mental health support worker suggested some time out in a house that supported people with mental health crisis. My family could visit, and I stayed there for seven days to give me the support and guidance I so desperately needed.

“Whilst in the home I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and instantly put on medication that would control my symptoms. I could finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

“In December 2020 my beautiful boy was born and he saved me in ways he will never know or understand. I’m now three years clean and sober.”

Laura hopes that by sharing her story, people will see that you can change. “If you are going through something similar, it might not seem like it but things will get better. You need to believe in yourself. Help and support is out there but you need to want to ask for it and work at it. It’s your life and only you can change it.”