'I was banned from a Greggs disabled toilet until I showed them one thing' (2025)

In July 2024, Evan Francis, 29, from Minster-on-Sea in Kent, was diagnosed with Fowler's Syndrome - a urethral sphincter condition that affects as few as two in a million women per year

A woman whose life has been put on hold due to a rare condition that prevents her from urinating, has claimed she was denied access to the disabled toilet at a Greggs store until she showed them one thing. Evan Francis, 29, a freelance communications professional from Minster-on-Sea in Kent, was diagnosed with Fowler's Syndrome in July 2024, a urethral sphincter condition that affects only two in a million women annually.

Initially, doctors attributed her recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs) to stress, following her redundancy and break up in November 2023. However, after her rare diagnosis, she was fitted with an indwelling urinary catheter attached to a urinary leg bag.

"I asked to use the disabled toilet and the assistant said to me 'You're not disabled, though'," Evan recounted. "And so I said 'How do you know that?' I decided to just get the bag out and say 'Does this make me disabled?'".

Greggs apologised to Evan after an employee denied her entry to an accessible toilet, stating she was "not disabled", until she revealed the bag on her catheter bag.

A spokesperson for Greggs expressed regret over the incident, stating: "We're really sorry to learn that this customer request was not dealt with in line with our company policy."

The company has vowed to take corrective measures, adding: "We will be taking steps to make sure all shop colleagues are aware of these policies to ensure this does not happen again."

Evan later underwent surgery to fit a suprapubic catheter to her lower abdomen, which requires changing every eight to 10 weeks, leaving her susceptible to further infections. In 2024 alone, she spent 96 hours in A&E.

Evan expressed her fear of being "like this forever" and hopes to be eligible for surgical intervention. Meanwhile, her rare condition has significantly impacted her self-esteem, dating life, and mental health.

"I've got a tube hanging out my vagina – I don't feel sexy, I don't feel my best, I don't feel me," she shared with PA Real Life. "Before Fowler's I was very, very busy and had no problems doing anything, really. I was in control of myself and doing everything I wanted, when I wanted."

Evan began battling a series of UTIs early in 2024, which her docs initially shrugged off as stress-related, what with her recent split and job loss. But after copping four UTIs in just one month, they finally sent her for an ultrasound.

Come April 2024, she was catheterised to ease the agony, and later went through urodynamics testing – a harrowing ordeal Evan reckons she's still not over. "I was with quite an old-school urologist who used an iPhone torch to find my urethra," she recounted.

"He had lots of students in the room when he was doing this test – there was no dignity. The catheter went wrong and so my urethra was bleeding... I've never really got over that – it's made my urethra incredibly sensitive."

Fast forward to July 2024, and the medics diagnosed Evan with Fowler's Syndrome. This rare condition jams up the urethral sphincter, stopping gals from peeing properly. It's pretty scarce, with only about 0.2 to 0.3 cases per 100,000 women, as per a 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

"They found two litres of urine trapped in my bladder – a woman's bladder should only hold about 500ml," Evan revealed. Her initial attempts at self-catheterisation were unsuccessful due to fluid retention-induced bloating, making her appear "nine months pregnant".

As a result, she was fitted with a suprapubic catheter – a drainage tube inserted into the bladder through a cut in the lower abdomen. Originally, she had an indwelling catheter attached to a urinary leg bag, but it "didn't go with (her) style".

"I like to dress well and I was thinking 'I can't really wear that with this outfit, it doesn't go'," she expressed. She then switched to a valve, which allowed her to drain her bladder herself at intervals, but infections continued to be a frequent issue.

Evan has also endured several instances of stuck catheters, causing "unbearable pain" necessitating A&E visits. Living with Fowler's Syndrome has also impacted Evan's confidence, hindering her from progressing in her career, dating, or even purchasing property like her contemporaries.

"I'm living at home, not only by choice, but also as a bit of a safety net because I could not afford to move out and go on the property ladder with my health so up and down," she explained. Currently, Evan resides with her mum Chere and her mother's partner, Nick. Her father, Peter, has also regularly accompanied her to A&E.

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