Stoma Helpline We’re here 24 hours a day: 0800 328 4257
Stoma Helpline We’re here 24 hours a day: 0800 328 4257
Gaile Griffiths
Adjusting to life with a stoma is difficult at any age, but can be especially so for young people and those that care for them. In 2014 we launched JOSH, our Junior Ostomy Support Helpline. Gaile was one of our first volunteers on the phone. Like all the other volunteers who take JOSH calls she has personal experience of the challenges and isolation faced by young ostomates and the people that look after them. For callers to the helpline, simply knowing that they are not alone can be life changing.
The memory of the first call she took is still vivid: ‘I wanted to make sure that I said the right words to help the caller, rather than put my foot in it. A short time into the call it all became natural and I remember feeling really proud that I had been able to give someone some useful information’.
