Let’s Go There: From Ostomy Surgery to the Rugby World Cup

My Ostomy Journey 

My name is Cass Bargell, and I have many different identities that I’m proud of. I’m an analyst on the Data Science & Analytics team at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, a USA Rugby National Team player, and an IBD patient and ostomate.

I’ve been a rugby player for 12 years now, having started at 13 years old in the mountains of Colorado. For nearly four of those 12 years, I’ve also been an ostomate who proudly plays rugby with my bag. 

I was diagnosed with severe acute ulcerative colitis four years ago, in October of 2021, after having suffered with symptoms for years. Initially, the symptoms were infrequent and mild, but soon became excruciating and started interfering with daily life. I felt immense relief when I was finally diagnosed, as there was an answer as to why I was so sick.

Through the Fear 

I only learned what an ostomy was a month before I got mine. I had an ileostomy, which means my entire large intestine (colon) was removed, and the end of my small intestine was pulled through a hole in my abdominal wall to create a stoma—a small, protruding little bump formed from the end of my intestine, which is what I wear my bag over.  

At the time, all I knew was that an ostomy would help me to be healthy again. Waking up after the surgery that removed my colon, I was sure I’d made the right decision. My initial treatment plan included several additional surgeries to construct an internal J-pouch—a J-shaped loop in my small intestine to approximate the function of a typical digestive system, reversing my ostomy. My mindset from the start was that I would have my ostomy only temporarily for about a year.

I still felt a lot of fear and uncertainty about what life would look like as an ostomate, especially since one of my biggest passions in life is playing the full-contact, often violent sport of rugby. I was unsure if I’d be able to play high-level rugby again with a bag. In the back of my mind, I figured that even if I couldn’t play with my ostomy, I would be able to with my eventual J-pouch. This meant I was even more worried that my J-pouch surgeries might be unsuccessful.

Eventually, both things would happen—I reached the pinnacle of my sport, playing in the Women’s Rugby World Cup with an ostomy, which I kept after my J-pouch surgeries failed almost immediately. 

Because of My Ostomy, Not Despite It 

It’s normal to feel fear when you're first diagnosed with IBD or when you get an ostomy. I was very scared through all of my “firsts”: changing my bag for the first time, going for my first run after surgery, relearning how to pass a rugby ball, and even making my first tackle with my bag. What I’m proud of is that I didn’t let this fear stop me.

My surgeon and my doctor cleared me from a safety point of view, so I had nothing to fear medically. But I still had to be very brave to try all these things for the first time with an ostomy. Every time I’ve stepped into fear and decided to chase my dreams anyway, I’m reminded that an ostomy doesn’t stop me at all.

In fact, in many ways, having an ostomy has made me a better athlete and person. I’ve gained resilience, bravery, and perspective. I’ve shared openly about it, and my teammates and friends have shown compassion and curiosity. We’ve grown closer as I’ve shared more about my disease and how it impacts my life.

Courage and Connection 

My two biggest pieces of advice for anyone who might be early on in their journey with an ostomy:

1. You’ll have to be brave. It’s not easy to have an ostomy. Things will scare you, but it’s possible to live a full life if you step into fear and do them anyway. You’ll find your limits, which will probably be further out than you expect.

2. Talk openly about your ostomy with people you trust. Sharing my ostomy experience with my teammates, coaches, and staff has helped them understand me as a whole person. They made modifications in training when I needed them (very rarely) and never doubted my ability to be the best rugby player I could be. Sharing has helped me work through some of my internal stigma about the bag, especially when the people I love and trust respond with curiosity and compassion. Having an ostomy makes you different, but the right people will want to understand those differences to best support you, which can give you both confidence and comfort. 

Playing for Something Bigger: Representing Team IBD 

I’m writing this post about a week after having returned home from competing in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. I started in games I’ve dreamt of being a part of since I first began playing rugby as a young girl. And I did it all as an ostomate. Not once, when I was going to pass or make a tackle, was I thinking about my bag.

The only time I really thought about my ostomy on the field was when I was walking out to sing our national anthem in front of 40,000 fans. In that moment, I felt pride, both in myself, for the effort, courage, and resilience it took to get there, and in the community of IBD patients and ostomates I hope to represent well every time I take the field.