County Durham boy, with stoma, walks half marathon to Stadium of Light to raise money for charity

Jack told our reporter Julia Bathram that he sees his stoma bag as a 'hidden super power"

A 9-year-old boy from County Durham, with a stoma, has walked more than the distance of a half marathon to raise money and awareness for his condition.

Jack Dale from Peterlee, was fitted with a stoma in 2022 and refers to it as his "hidden super power".

He walked the 14 miles from Shotton Colliery to the stadium of his favourite football team, Sunderland, to raise money for Colostomy UK.

Jack and his family had picked the date for the fundraiser because yesterday (Saturday 5 October) was International Stoma Awareness Day.

Jack has been fundraising for Colostomy UK for the past two years. Last year he ran 31 miles in 31 days.

In that time he has raised more than £5000 for the charity.

He said he is doing it to "help kids in need who have a stoma".

On his 14-mile walking challenge to the Stadium of Light this weekend, he said: "I decided to do it to raise money for Colostomy UK.

"I do not know how far it is but I feel confident about it."

Jack said his message to other children going through the same as him is, "do not be afraid because it is a hidden superpower".

Waving Jack off yesterday were the players from Shotton Colliery football team.

They wore purple arm bands in support of Jack and to raise awareness of stomas.

Gareth Coxson from the team said: "People always ask why we are wearing what we are and a lot of people are not aware of what it is all about.

"I think you go away and you do research it if you look at it. I think it does make a difference, seeing the armbands and everything else.

"It is fantastic how much he [Jack] actually does to help support the charity even though he is suffering himself. It is fantastic."

Jack's mother Zoe Dale said he has over came a lot to have as much confidence as he does, and take on these fundraiser challenges.

She added: "To be honest over the last two years Jack has let nothing stop him.

"Jack prolapses, so basically prolapse is when his bowel will come out of his tummy, and when that happens Jack has to lie down for his bowel to go back in and still Jack just carries on with that.

"It happens at school, he does not come home from school, Jack stays at school.

"Jack battles every single day. He just wants to spread that word that he should be treated no different to anyone else who lives life without a stop."

Giovanni Cinque from the charity, Colostomy UK says Jack is helping to change the stigma around stomas

Giovanni Cinque from the charity, Colostomy UK, said: "I think it is brilliant and it is people like Jack, who are going out and doing amazing things and raising funds and spreading awareness on television, because they are not scared by that stigma yet that adults can have.

"What they are doing by being open about their stomas is that they are normalising it for all their school friends and other young children that they engage with, so as that generation grow into adults they’re going to have that understanding that the current adult generation does not.

"I think it is brilliant in tackling that stigma and normalising stomas."

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