Mandy Hunter

Lerato Monyatsi

Bruce Carmona 

Shaylee Raye Hunter

I feel gorgeous.
I'm a shy better, Jimmy Nassar Rama.
Break your but.

I feel gorgeous. I'm a shy better, Jimmy Nassar Rama. Break your but.

Laura Wheeler 

Megan Samadi

Ashley  Norris

Calvin Nokes

Raimo Strangis 

And he said, ok, well, it looks like your best option is ostomy surgery.
So I finally decided to have my ostomy surgery and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life.
And, you know, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made when I finally made it.

Hi, everyone. My name is Ramo STRS. I'm from Toronto, Canada. And I love to share my story on how my ostomy changed my life. So for me, it was a bit of a slow process. Um, back when I was in my early twenties, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and it got really, really bad. And at that point, I was a musician in a band and, you know, I love music was everything to me. And my UC got so bad that I had to go to my doctor and say, listen, this is like unbearable. And he said, ok, well, it looks like your best option is ostomy surgery. So, again, keep in mind I was in my twenties, I was, I was a lead singer in this band. I had no idea what an ostomy was and then I looked it up and I was like, whoa, no way. I'm not doing that. And, you know, I suffered for 10 more years and I gave up music and, you know, I isolated at home. I never went anywhere. And then finally, you know, I got married, I had a kid and I was like, ok, this is, I can't continue on like this. So I finally decided to have my ostomy surgery and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I was able to go out again. I didn't have to worry about, you know, staying home and, you know, where's the next bathroom and, you know, missing family outings, missing birthdays, weddings, like I was able to go out, enjoy my life and, you know, looking back, I wish I would have done it earlier and I could have kept playing music. But for me, I mean, finally coming to the conclusion to have my asthma surgery was the best thing that could ever happen to me. And it's still helping me now because I was lucky enough to be a producer on a short film called Stuck About My ostomy Journey and how I was a musician and all that plays out in this short film. So, yeah, it's still paying dividends to this day. And, you know, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made when I finally made it. So I love to, uh, I can't wait to hear everyone else's stories.

Rita Follett

Riley Lockard

Leonard Disla

Kaitlyn Beyer

Colleen Ann Paavola

Sandra Vitikos 

Tonya Kelly

Maya Scholder

Tracey Addy

Angie Rafert

You know, that's one thing I think that's got me through a lot of this is a sense of humor.

Hi, I'm Angie. Um, and I've had an ostomy since I was 28. I'm 47 now. Um, it was quite the adventure in 05. I had our second daughter, um, never been sick ever. And, um, all of a sudden after a couple weeks after I had her, I wasn't feeling well and my family doctor diagnosed me with colitis, um, kind of had it under control and then things started to snowball again before Christmas of 05. And then the beginning of 06, I decided to go to a G I specialist. Um, I mean, about 30 40 minutes away from us and we live in a very rural, small town. And so I went to him and by this time he said it was also difficult colitis and I was very sick and he put me on big medicines, big, big gun medicines. And I continued to go to work which I was ac N A, um, and raise two little girls, 2.5 and a baby. Uh, our husband, my husband farmed farms, we farm and, um, he also trucked at that time too. So it was just, it was a lot. It was a lot, um, had great family support. Always had someone there though, which was great. Uh, but the end of January was getting worse and a lot of fevers dehydrated. Uh, so I went into the hospital. Yeah. Yeah, at the end of January and they told me, I just have to tell the doctor to put me on antibiotics. So he did. Um, and the next morning February 1st of 06, they come in and said he was gonna do a partial scope. So they did. And when I come back, I just felt kind of yucky. And as the day progressed it got worse and worse and my ivs were blowing. Um, I couldn't use the bathroom. My stomach was very distended of a lot of pain. Um, I was about as gray as gray could get and they sent me for an X ray and when I come back, they rushed me to surgery because my colon had perforated. So, um, the ulcers were so bad that where he pushed air, it perforated my colon. Um, but anyway, I, I woke up after surgery and had an ostomy, um, was scared out of my mind. But, um, had a gray ostomy nurse. Um, she walked me through everything, um, a lot of trial and error throughout the years. Um, I, I met with people that, um, actually in our surrounding towns that had one, and that helped a lot, little tricks they give me, um, in 08 or 09. I don't, I don't remember. I went and had a reverse, um, where they take your small intestine and do an internal pouch AJ pouch. And I went to Rochester, uh Minnesota for that up at Mayo Clinic and that worked well for a year or two. And then I developed a fil and that took 1112. I don't even know how many surgeries to try to repair and they could not repair it. Um, it was just in, uh, I come, I got to the point where you gotta live, you gotta live and I, I need to, to take care of our babies and, and, uh, it was a lot for my husband too, a lot. It was just a lot on us. And so, um, lo and behold back with the bag and it's been, well, we've been, we've had our bumps but it's been, I, I don't, I'm alive, I'm here and that's the main thing. And so I, um, I do everything that anybody would want to do. We go boating. Um, I get in the water, I love water. Um, um, I help on the farm when I can. Um, I work outside the home, um, mowing. Um, I run, I love to run. Uh, so it's, you do anything you do anything that anybody does and they've come so far with ostomy things, the supplies. Um, sometimes I just forget I have it, you forget it's there. Um, I guess if I could give any advice to someone wanting, you know, having to go through this or kind of, you know, wondering how they're gonna get through it. First off, get yourself a good support system because that's amazing. Second, don't lose your sense of humor. You know, that's one thing I think that's got me through a lot of this is a sense of humor. You, you gotta, you gotta laugh at some of these things and um third, you're here, you're here. I mean, I, the good Lord has been with me and I just think it's, it's amazing. So, um but I had a lot of drive, you know, our girls, he, he, I had to get up and keep going and as many times, uh you know, I did have Thursday, I'll tell you, I, I don't like it but I'm here and again, your attitude and your sense of humor are gonna take you a long ways and um your, your good friends and family will always help you. Um find yourself a good wound, an ostomy nurse, they're great um at what they do. So it's always kind of been a dream of mine. I would love to help people with it. Um But it's, you, you have your life back, you have your life back and it sure beats being sick, it beats hospital stays. Um Yeah, hear everything and more so um get your story out there. Let people know. Don't be, don't be embarrassed and don't be ashamed and don't be scared to tell people about it. I'll show them if they wanna see it. So, um, I guess if you take anything away from this, you know, um, have faith and keep a good sense of humor and a good attitude. But, uh, ostomy awareness is, is huge and I do think more people need to know about it and hear about it and let them hear your stories. So, thank you.

Ostomies Are Life-Savers