Tina Buckley suffered with constipation and IBS for years and was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2018. Treating the disease meant a permanent stoma which took some adjustment, but finding a love for running in 2022 changed everything
Tina Buckley says it can be very challenging using a stoma bag 24/7. Photo: Don Moloney
Running a mini-marathon is no small task. It’s even harder when you have a stoma bag. But that didn’t stop Tina Buckley running in the Cook Mini Marathon last October. Now, having caught the running bug, the 51-year-old deli assistant from Limerick city is training for the Regeneron Great Limerick Run next May.
“I completed the Cook Mini Marathon, which was my first ever race, in one hour 20 minutes and I felt fantastic afterwards,” she says. “Running has given me a whole new lease of life. You not only feel better for it, but it’s great to be part of a community.”