Paul Scanlon, 53 was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer in April 2022. He was told he would have to have an operation where they would remove his large bowel and that he would have to live with a stoma. As he hadn’t heard of a stoma before, he went to see a nurse who explained, and he says he was ‘thoroughly repulsed’ and over the next few weeks he had made his mind up not to have the operation.
He visited Maggie’s Cardiff and saw the clinical psychologist, Sarah, who helped to change his mind. Paul said Sarah never judged him and that after that session a lightbulb went on and he immediately ran home to tell his family wife and two daughters that he would have the operation after all.
He says visiting Maggie’s saved his life and he calls it his happy place, saying: “The building at Maggie’s Cardiff is really peaceful, it has an open plan feel with a lovely big table in it where you can just sit and talk – or not, however you feel, or you can go to the cwtch or sit out in the garden with a cuppa and watch the birds in the woodland – its a really nice peaceful, tranquil place that helped me feel more relaxed.
When I went to see Sarah, she explained how I would be able to adapt to life with the stoma and that it would give me a lot of time to live life with my family. I really believe that Sarah and the Maggie’s centre saved my life.”
After his operation in Nov 2022, Paul’s outlook on his stoma has completely changed – he says his stoma is his ‘bag for living’ and calls it ‘Shrimp’ – a name he was affectionately called as the youngest of seven kids in his family. Shrimp now has its own wardrobe – a jeans bag, racing top bags, and more – all handmade by another man Paul met in the Mens Group at Maggie’s Cardiff.
Paul also does Tik Toks with ‘Shrimp’ to show other people that if he can live with a stoma, then so can they. He really believed he would not be able to do this before he came to Maggie’s Cardiff and says that Sarah saved his life!
