Meet the Leeds nurse with a stoma bag taking on Mount Everest for mental health charity Andy's Man Club

Ian Marshall, 57, was diagnosed nine years ago with Crohn’s disease, a long-term condition where the gut becomes inflamed.

Mr Marshall began to experience symptoms of the disease shortly before a planned trek to Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, which caused it to be delayed for 18 months.

Living with the disease has not been easy for the trekker. He said: “It's been difficult being on several different treatments – each which worked for so long and then stopped working.

“It was difficult in that respect, physically and mentally. It was stressful; it did disrupt my day-to-day work and social life.”

The mental toll Crohn’s disease took on Mr Marshall led him to want to raise awareness and funds for Andy’s Man Club, a men’s mental health charity that holds weekly free group sessions around the country to provide men with a space to talk.

But last September, Mr Marshall underwent a colostomy, a major surgery that leaves patients with the aid of a stoma bag, to help with his Crohn’s disease.

Andy, who has been in recovery since, said: “My quality of life has improved a hell of a lot. After the surgery there's always going to be that initial, ‘how will I be when I see it for the first time?’

“But I’m very happy with how it’s gone, and how I have coped with it because it is a big change in your life.”

Now, Mr Marshall says he is ready to embark on his next big adventure. He said: “The only other type of trek that appeals to me now is the Everest Base Camp.”

The Everest Base Camp in Nepal is a trek to the foot of the world's highest mountain and Mr Marshall said he is confident that he will complete the hike this October.

He said that the help of his stoma bag will allow him to take on the challenge, saying: “With the stoma, it's more controlled because with Crohn's, you never quite knew when you were going to have to dash to the loo. You’d be wondering if you would make it to the toilet on time, things like that.

“With the stoma, I can sort of gauge when it's going to need emptying, when it's gonna need changing. It gives me a bit more control.”

Mr Marshall said he hopes the trek will raise awareness and money for Andy’s Man Club, a charity established in Yorkshire that he thinks has gone from “strength to strength”.

Mr Marshall, who is welcoming donations on his GoFundMe page, said: “Everybody's got problems and things to deal with. Crohn’s wasn’t nice - and it did affect me physically and mentally.

“I heard about Andy’s Man Club and was just really impressed with what they've been trying to do. Men tend to not be great at coming forward and discussing things that are bothering them.”