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Paul Scanlon, a cancer survivor from Cardiff, recounted a distressing encounter with airport security staff when he attempted to retrieve his stoma supplies from his luggage. Having lived with a stoma for almost four years following his diagnosis with stage three bowel cancer, Paul described the treatment he received at UK airports as both humiliating and degrading. His experiences have prompted calls for improved training for airport personnel to ensure individuals with stomas are treated with dignity and respect.
Paul, 57, enjoys traveling, a passion that has grown stronger since his cancer diagnosis. He explained how the illness made him value the opportunity to travel even more. After his large bowel was removed due to tumors, Paul reluctantly accepted having a stoma—a surgical opening in the stomach to divert waste into a bag. He described the adjustment as challenging, saying, “It’s having your bum on your belly and it’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s a lifesaver.” Despite this, he admitted that fully coming to terms with the stoma is difficult, adding, “You end up just living with it.”
His difficulties at airports, however, go beyond the physical challenges of living with a stoma. Paul revealed that on one occasion, security staff at a UK airport demanded that he remove his stoma bag, something he cannot do. More recently, at Cardiff Airport, while traveling with his wife Deborah and friends, he was shouted at by a security officer after trying to pick up his bag of stoma supplies from the conveyor belt. He described how the officer yelled, “You can’t touch that bag, leave it alone, get away,” before escorting him to a separate room for a search. Paul reflected on the ordeal, saying, “You’re just made to feel like a criminal,” and lamented the lack of compassion he experienced despite understanding the need for security.
The distress caused by these incidents has made Paul reluctant to fly, opting instead for a cruise departing from Southampton for his next holiday. He expressed hope for his future, saying, “I’ve got next year to get through and I’ll be hopefully cancer free. You know, we’ve got loads of life left in us and we still want to go on holiday.” Paul’s story is echoed by others; the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association (IA) has received reports of negative experiences at 16 UK airports. IA’s chief executive, Lisa Barker, highlighted the stress and anxiety caused by current security procedures and called for better understanding and more respectful treatment of people with stomas. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also emphasized its requirement for airports to provide disability awareness training and urged staff to handle interactions with sensitivity and empathy
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