Mum raises thousands with stoma bag marathon

A mum who ran the London Marathon with a stoma bag and raised more than £10,000 for charity said it was "one of the best days of my life".

Charlie Carroll, 37, from Alvechurch, Worcestershire, has had a stoma since 2011 as she has ulcerative colitis and has had most of her large intestine removed.

She was then diagnosed with bowel cancer during further surgery in 2018 when her first child was less than a year old.

Ms Carroll, whose tumour was successfully removed, said she did the marathon "to set myself a challenge" and inspire other people.

She also recalled that, when she had her first round of surgery, she felt self-conscious about her stoma and wanted to keep it "a secret".

She added she had come to realise that "people can talk about this - it's OK".

Ms Carroll, who has a seven-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, said her children were proud of her for running the marathon and her dad had been "tearful" as he cheered her on.

"It's up there with getting married and having children," she said, of the moment when she crossed the finish line.

Ms Carroll has raised more than £10,700 so far for Bowel Cancer UK with her marathon run.

Her friends in Alvechurch have also organised a charity netball match and a raffle to add to her donations, she added.

Sunday's marathon also saw Adam Cotterill, 39, from Stourbridge, among the runners and he wore a white unicorn outfit with a rainbow mane chosen by his "unicorn-mad" daughters.

Mr Cotterill, who said he set a new world record for the fastest marathon run while dressed as a mythical creature, completed the race in four hours, seven minutes and 38 seconds.

He said his run raised more than £4,000 for the Dudley Group NHS Trust's baby loss and bereavement department, a cause he chose after being inspired by his wife's work as a midwife there.

Other memorable Midlanders in Sunday's marathon included Dave Heeley, a blind fundraiser known as "Blind Dave" from West Bromwich, who completed his 17th and final run around the capital.

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