Cards that can help cure ‘invisible problem’

BBC newsreader George Alagiah is battling stomach cancer.

YOU featured an article (The Yorkshire Post, April 19) about George Alagiah, the BBC newsreader, feeling guilty and embarrassed at using disabled toilet facilities following treatment for bowel cancer – an invisible problem faced by sufferers.

I had previously read in The Yorkshire Post an article about the difficulties facing people with irritable bowel syndrome and the availability of a special card which should enable the bearer to access toilet facilities not usually available to the general public.

Crohn’s sufferers face similar problems.

As a bowel cancer survivor and, having experienced some inexplicable and unfortunate incidents during the decade since I underwent keyhole surgery, I emailed Macmillan Cancer Support and have received some very helpful information.

Macmillan offers an “I can’t wait” toilet card and the Bladder and Bowel Community a “Just can’t wait” toilet card. Both are free of charge. Disability Rights UK can supply a Radar key for access to locked disabled toilet facilities for a nominal one-off fee.

I hope this information is helpful to some of your readers.