Having overcome her own difficulties with a stoma, and going on to swim the English Channel, Gill Castle set up a charity to help women in Kenya move on with their lives after a colostomy. Gill ended up with her stoma after suffering a fistula and a fourth degree tear between her rectum and vagina when giving birth to her son. The BBC joined her for a trip to Africa to meet some of those she is working with. Gill, from Alnwick, found out about the plight of Kenyan women after being contacted by an American Charity called Beyond Fistula which works with the hospital. A fistula is an internal hole and can be the result of childbirth. It is a condition which often affects the poorest women who cannot afford healthcare, so the hospital offers the surgery for free.
SOURCE: BBC