Cassidy’s story

Cassidy Bargell is a scrum-half for the USA Women's 15s Rugby Union team. After suffering a bowel issue that came with alarming symptoms, she eventually underwent surgery to remove her colon and form an ileostomy. Just a few months later, she was back playing rugby, wearing her stoma bag. Here, she shares her journey as part of ERIC’s Beyond The Bag campaign this Christmas.

Cassidy Bargell wearing rugby kit, smiling and showing stoma bag

Cassidy first began playing rugby around the age of 13 and soon developed a passion for it. Before long, she was representing her school and her coach encouraged her to consider taking a sports scholarship at university. After being wooed by several prestigious universities, she enrolled at Harvard University, where she joined the rugby team.

During the pandemic, she split her time training for rugby with the 15s national team in Colorado and training with the USA Rugby Sevens national team in California, all while completing her Harvard studies online.

From the age of 17, however, she had begun to experience severe stomach pains and mucus in her stool – issues that would flare up at times of stress. “Whenever I felt stressed, my symptoms got worse, and they didn’t ever get better”.

'Something's not right'

Once back at Harvard and attending lectures in person again, things got worse. Although she sought medical advice, the healthcare professionals were stumped. “At first they thought it was a food intolerance, possibly internal haemorrhoids, but I knew that wasn’t it. I was waking up at night covered in sweat. I just knew something wasn’t right.”

It got to a stage where she was struggling to walk to lectures. “I urgently needed the toilet, so I ran there and there was so much blood I thought I was dying. I thought they’d have to take me to hospital right then and there”.

A CT scan in the hospital revealed severe inflammation of her colon. A colonoscopy the following week confirmed she had ulcerative colitis.

“In some ways it was a relief because I finally understood why I had been suffering so much, but I was still worried about what was next”.

Photo by Erin Scott-Williams

No Colon, still rollin'

Following several attempted therapeutic treatment plans, Cassidy’s symptoms didn’t improve. In November 2021 she underwent the first of what would become four abdominal surgeries, to remove her colon and create an ileostomy, an opening in her abdomen to allow waste to pass.

“They took out my entire colon and I thought ‘great, I’m so glad – it’s causing me pain, I want it gone! I was finally able to think clearly again without pain”.

Cassidy was asked to do a TED Talk at the time, sharing her journey to ileostomy surgery. She called her speech ‘No Colon, Still Rollin’ and the video has been viewed many thousands of times since then.

Complications and setbacks

At the time, she was about to undergo a second procedure to create a J-pouch with a temporary loop ileostomy. (The J-pouch allowed her to go to the toilet as she did before, as it’s an internal pouch that connects the end of your small intestine to your anal canal).

“They said it had a good chance of working for me because I was young and healthy and that if it worked, I wouldn’t need to wear a bag or have any supplies to worry about, so I liked the sound of that”.

Unfortunately, in Cassidy's case, after a third surgery to take down the ostomy and connect the J-pouch, there was a complication that meant the J-pouch would not work. This meant she then needed another operation to return to an end ileostomy, which is the one she has today.

“I chose to not go through with more operations and attempts at getting a J-pouch. There are different solutions for everyone, and for me my ostomy suits me better than additional surgeries and time in hospital to try to not have a bag”.

Photo by Dante K Photography

Return to rugby

All of these setbacks certainly provided a challenge to Cassidy, as she strived to continue her studies and excel on the rugby pitch, but she didn’t let them stop her.

“I was worried I may not play rugby again, especially with an ostomy bag, but clinicians told me it was safe to return to playing, and so I did. This is what I love.

“My ostomy has made me a better athlete and person. My bag gave me my health back and has allowed me to compete at international levels and grow in my resilience and compassion. Although it hasn't made life easier, it has not made me worse, if that makes sense.”

Having graduated from Harvard, Cassidy went on to play in the Women’s Elite Rugby, the semi-pro league, alongside her day-job working as a data analyst for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.

In August this year, she was part of the USA Women's Rugby Union team that competed at the Women’s Rugby World Cup in the UK.

“It was an incredible experience which I will remember forever and I’m so proud that I did it and was able to raise awareness of stomas along the way.”

Beyond The Bag

This Christmas, Cassidy is supporting ERIC’s Beyond The Bag campaign, where we’re amplifying the voices of young people living with stomas and showcasing the positive impact stoma surgery can have on their lives.

“I recently met one of ERIC’s Young Champions, Jake, online, and it was great hearing about the work ERIC does for young people with all kinds of bowel and bladder issues. People shouldn’t feel ashamed to talk about these things, so I’m happy to support Jake and all the young people who are part of this and help make their voices heard.”

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