This is how a nine-year-old girl Leeds United fan is breaking the stigma on stomas - and winning awards

In her free time, Katie Thirling likes singing, crafting, and attending concerts and theatre shows.

She also enjoys sharing her experience of living with a stoma on her Instagram account account @katies.stoma.journey. Her aim is to promote inclusion and to show how amazing stomas are.

An estimated one in 335 people in the UK live with a stoma, a small opening in the abdomen that is used to remove bodily waste into a collection bag.

Katie had her stoma surgery 18 months ago due to painful bowel issues.

She said: “(The stoma) made my life a lot better because before I couldn’t go to school as I was in hospital a lot.

“My body needed a break - it really did hurt and I knew a stoma could help me.”

The stoma surgery was life-changing for Katie.

Kelly Fowler, Katie’s mother said: “Katie has always been the most confident child I’ve ever known. But when she was having the problem with her tummy before, she’d look lifeless, her eyes would be sunken and grey and her tummy would be heavily descended.

“Now I can only describe her as a sparkling little ball of life. She never stops.”

Since her surgery, Katie has made it her mission to educate others on what life is like with a hidden disability.

On her Instagram page, Katie documents the highs and lows of having a stoma to over 2,000 followers.

She often wears outfits where her stoma, named Diamond as diamonds are a girl’s best friend, is on show to highlight that a stoma is something to be proud of.

Katie said: “I’ve seen a lot of kids and adults be ashamed about getting a stoma in case they’ll get laughed at but I want to be loud and proud with it.”

Katie’s efforts to break the stigma around stomas has led to tangible change on a local and national level.

A few weeks after her stoma surgery, she created presentations for her primary school classmates explaining what a stoma is and debunking misconceptions. The response was pride from fellow pupils and a lot of questions which Katie is always happy to answer.

Meanwhile online, Katie often shares her experiences in public bathrooms and offers advice on how they can be more accessible for people who need to change a stoma bag.

According to Katie, public bathrooms need four things: a shelf, a mirror, a hook, and a sanitary bin.

Without these, trying to change a stoma bag can be difficult or even impossible.

But at the start of the year, when Katie shared a bad experience at a toilet in Leeds First Direct Bank Arena, she decided to reach out and see if change could be made. Katie and her mother Kelly worked with the venue’s operations team who in turn worked with Colostomy UK, to make their bathrooms more stoma-friendly before inviting Katie to a Disney on Ice show to assess their work.

But it’s not just changes in Leeds that Katie is passionate about - she wants to make stomas a national conversation. That’s why this summer, she joined forces with The Traitors star Mollie Pearce to fundraise for ERIC, the national charity dedicated to improving children's bowel and bladder health.

For Katie, it was an amazing experience to meet the model and TV personality who she supported throughout The Traitors and Dancing on Ice.

Katie said: “I love Traitors and I found out she had a stoma on that. Ever since then she was always my favourite.”

Meeting in person, the pair were able to bond over their experience of living with a stoma.

On October 30, Katie will be one of 22 young people receiving a British Citizen Youth Award at the Palace of Westminster, an achievement that fills her mum with pride.

Kelly said: “To be honest (Katie) flabbergasts me every single day because there’s always something new that she’s achieving and that she’s doing”

“Words couldn’t tell you how proud I am as her mum because she has more confidence than I’ve had in my whole entire life.

“She’s not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and to stand up not only for herself but for children and adults and it makes us super proud.”

Katie plans to dedicate her award to Lyn Morgan, a fellow Leeds campaigner for stoma accessibility who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Through everything she does, Katie ultimately wants others to know stomas are nothing to be ashamed of: they don’t smell, they don’t stop you wearing your favourite clothes, and anyone can have one.

Katie said: “I want people to know that not only old people have stomas, am I old? Am I 99? No, I’m nine!”