CALGARY- Lisa Gausman grew up near a lake, water skiing at every opportunity. But when she was a teenager, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and from that moment, everything changed.
“I walked around in a bikini all day long, so to have my body kind of cut up and changed in such a way that I didn’t feel comfortable anymore…it was a long process to come to accept.”
Gausman’s immune system attacked her gastrointestinal tract, and at the age of 19 she had her first of three ostomies. A procedure that involves bringing a piece of the intestine out through the abdominal wall, so the patient can eliminate waste into an external pouch.
Now in her forties, Gausman has spent most of her adult life managing her ostomy. She empties her pouch several times a day, careful, in the beginning to keep her condition secret.
“There was quite a level of hiding. We weren’t open about it, we didn’t talk about it and it was perceived to be something that people didn’t want to talk about or know about,” she remembers.
According to the Calgary Ostomy Society, there is nothing disabling about the condition. In fact, people with an ostomy are able to enjoy many activities from horseback riding to mountain climbing. What is disabling, advocates say, is the stigma.
Simmeck says modern ostomy pouches can be easily hidden under clothing and even swimsuits.
Eight years ago, a personal crisis gave Gausman the courage to stop hiding. Since then, she’s volunteered to help raise awareness and offer support to others living with an ostomy.
“We can do anything,” she says. “It’s just a matter of figuring out when and in what time frame works best.”
On Saturday, the Calgary Ostomy Society is hosting its first annual ‘Stomastroll.’ The walk for ostomy awareness will be held in the neighbourhood of MacEwan. Click here for more information.
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