Crawley woman finds love in running despite life-changing illness

The 40-year-old will run through the iconic sights of London as part of the ASICS London 10k, which will be her first major running event with a stoma, after having two surgeries within the last two years, one of which saw her suffer a life-threatening internal bleed. Now recovering, Nikki is using her ability to raise awareness for those with stomas as well as raise money for charity.

After being diagnosed with colitis and an elongated colon two years ago, Nikki had her first surgery in 2021 to have a temporary stoma put in place. Following the unsuccessful procedure, she underwent a second operation last year where a permanent was stoma put in place. However, when recovering she suffered life-threatening internal bleeding and was rushed back to the hospital.

Speaking on the incident Nikki said: “It was very scary. It was during COVID so I wasn’t allowed any visitors at the hospital. But luckily, I had an incredible medical team around me.”

Now recovered, she is learning to live with her stoma. She added: “You basically have to learn how to run again. For example, I didn’t know how my stoma would react to me fuelling myself on a long-distance run.”

Nikki has what is called a colostomy, an abdomen opening connected to the digestive system that allows waste to leave the body. When she first had the stoma put in place she revealed: “I had to learn to be confident. For me, it felt like a disfigurement. Running gave me freedom and headspace to work on my mental health.”

According to Colostomy UK, it is estimated that one in 335 people in the UK are currently living with stomas, and they can be used to treat a number of illnesses. During the ASICS London 10K, Nikki will be raising money for Colostomy UK as well as Lupus UK to support her mother who has the autoimmune disease.

“A lot of people tell me I’m inspirational, but I don’t think I am,” added Nikki. “There will be thousands of people running all for their own special reasons. I just think if I can help somebody else then I’m doing a good job.”

The sold-out ASICS London 10k will see a record 17,500 runners take to London’s streets, passing landmarks such as Westminster Bridge, The London Eye, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Big Ben.

When asked how she will be feeling on the day, she said: “I’ll be feeling very emotional. Just the fact that I can still go out and do it. Everyone has their reasons behind why they are doing it and it will be incredible to see and talk to everyone there.”

Nikki can be sponsored online at: www.justgiving.com/page/nikki-murphy-fabat40.