'I thought everyone would stare at me in a bikini - a stranger made my day'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Soaking up the scorching Tenerife sun, Kirsty Heron went to take off her playsuit so she could lounge in her bikini. She hesitated for a moment.

Since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis earlier this year, she feared others would stare at her new stoma bag. Determined to have a good holiday, the 24-year-old took a deep breath, removed her playsuit and sat back in her chair. READ MORE: 'Our healthy little boy complained of a headache - now he may never walk or talk again' Looking up from her sun lounger, she noticed an elderly man pointing her way.

Kirsty thought he might have been laughing at her. But he lifted his shirt to show he had a stoma bag too – allowing her to enjoy the rest of her trip “without a care in the world”. “After seeing that on the first day, the rest of my holiday was at ease,” Kirsty, from the Swinton area of Salford, told the Manchester Evening News. “I would freely walk with my stoma out without a care in the world.

I was just glad my life was back on track and I was living like how a normal 24-year-old girl would. “I was feeling really excited and nervous at the same time because of what I’ve been through this past year. “This was my first holiday since having my stoma and my mind was all over the place.