Ostomy Awareness Day: Ostomies are Life-Savers

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“Bottom line, I have my life back and I’m only looking forward.” – Josh Nelson

Ostomies are Life-Savers – and Coloplast is proud to be a part of helping spread the word on Saturday, October 5th for Ostomy Awareness Day!

For many people, it’s not often that intimate things – like an ostomy – are discussed openly … but at Coloplast, our passion centers around hearing real-life stories from people with intimate healthcare needs. As we listen, we strive to uncover unmet needs and respond with innovative product solutions to make life easier for people living with an ostomy. We bring this passion to listen, respond, and make life easier to work every day – and we’re proud to stand with the ostomy community in raising awareness of the amazing resilience of people living with an ostomy.

Do you live in the Twin Cities? Lace up your shoes and join our team for the Virtual Run for Resilience!

You, your family, friends, and pets are invited to join Coloplast employees, ostomates in the area, and their families for a “virtual 5K” run/walk/roll along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, MN – starting at our US corporate office. Attendees should plan to arrive by 10:00 AM to gear up for the race. There will be groups of people both running and walking, so you can move at the pace at which you are most comfortable!

Before the run/walk/roll begins, we will have two guest speakers. Kiza Olson and Josh Nelson, who both have ostomies, will tell their stories, including how an ostomy was a lifesaver for them. Watch this short video from Josh* encouraging you to join us:

This event is open to anyone who wants to help support ostomy awareness. Looking for more information? Check out our Facebook event page. Feel free to join our team and sign up for the event at no cost on the Coloplast team page.

To help you prepare for the run/walk, brush up on some tips on sports and exercise with an ostomy on our Coloplast® Care site.

Don’t live in Minneapolis?

Visit the Coloplast booth at one of the 8 Run for Resilience events nationwide!

If you plan to participate at one of the run/walks held nationwide, make sure to stop by the Coloplast table and meet our local representative! We’ll be handing out free temporary tattoos so you can wear the “Ostomies Are Life-Savers” slogan proudly on your sleeve.

We’re proud to be a part of the effort to build awareness that ostomies are life-savers – and a key contributor to really feeling like you can “have your life back” is finding the right product fit. As bodies change over time – aging, gaining or losing weight, getting new scars or a hernia – it’s important to check that you still have the right fit. That’s why we developed BodyCheck: in 8 easy steps, this online tool will identify the best combination of product(s) to provide a secure fit to your individual body profile. At our booth, we’ll have information on using BodyCheck to ensure you still have a secure fit – and a free magnet reminding you to check your body as things change.

Take a selfie!

If you get the temporary tattoo or magnet –  we’d love to see how you display them! Snap a picture and share with us on social media with the hashtags #OstomyAwarenessDay #OstomiesAreLifeSavers  #RunforResilience

 

*Josh is a SenSura Mio user who has received compensation from Coloplast to provide this information. Each person’s situation is unique, so your experience may not be the same. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether this product is right for you.

Editor’s Note: this blog post was provided by Coloplast Corp, a Gold Sponsor of UOAA’s annual Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K events that benefit UOAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

How Will You Celebrate Ostomy Awareness Day?

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National Ostomy Awareness Day is celebrated this year in the US on Saturday, October 5, 2019. At Hollister Incorporated, we are proud to stand with the broader ostomy community to show how we are #AllinforOstomy. We invite everyone to join together in spreading awareness or engaging in activities that can impact the day-to-day lives of people living with ostomies and their caregivers.

Participate in a Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K Event!

For some, the best way to celebrate and support ostomy awareness is to get out and enjoy the day, even better to do so together with the people we care about. In that spirit, we celebrate Ostomy Awareness Day again this year by supporting United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) as the exclusive Diamond Sponsor of the annual Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K events. The events help increase awareness about ostomy and continent diversion surgery and encourage positive dialogue. Bring family and friends with you to participate in one of these fun events nationwide. Many feature kids’ activities, a DJ, a division for people with ostomies, and awards. Visit ostomy5k.org to find a run near you. While you’re there, stop by the Hollister booth and say hello!

If you can’t make it to one of the live events, you can still participate by registering for a Virtual Walk, Run, or Roll at a location near you. Even a treadmill counts! This year Hollister Associates will participate in a virtual event near our Hollister Incorporated headquarters in Illinois, and at our distribution center in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

Gearing up to participate in one of these events? Get in the mood with the All in for Ostomy playlist on Spotify.

Show off your Stoma Sticker on Ostomy Awareness Day or Any Day!

By wearing a “stoma” where people can see it, you can start a conversation, raise awareness, and show support for the ostomy community on Ostomy Awareness Day and every day. Place the sticker over your clothes on the lower right or left side between your navel and hip, where ostomies are typically located. Then, take a photo or video and share it on social media with the hashtags #AllinforOstomy and #OstomyAwareness. Because any day is a good day to support and celebrate ostomy awareness, Stoma Stickers are available for order year round! Visit stomasticker.com to order a free educational Stoma Sticker, shipped anywhere in the US.

Visit www.hollister.com/ostomyawareness to learn more!

 

Editor’s Note: this blog post was provided by Hollister Inc. the exclusive Diamond Sponsor of UOAA’s annual Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K events that benefit UOAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

10 Awesome Reasons to Support, Walk or Run the Ostomy 5k

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Bring Ostomy Awareness to your Neighborhood with the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k

October 6 and 13, 2018

 

  1. Change a Life. The theme of World Ostomy Day on October 6, 2018 is “Speaking Out Changes Lives”. Speak out to smash stigmas and never let someone choose death over an ostomy ever again.
  2. Support the Dream of a Someone with an Ostomy. Some run for the first time, others walk to discover a new life after surgery. Donate to support a Run for Resilience location in your state, the worldwide Virtual 5k, or a participant fundraiser. If you or your support group start a fundraiser you can win prizes such as an exclusive Run for Resilience t-shirt, visor or group party. (Proceeds benefit the programs of UOAA)
  3. Have Fun and Get in Shape. All events are family-friendly and some feature special happening like a picnic (Arizona), giveaways, kids runs and activities, silent auction, free beer (Idaho),

    Photo by: Natalie Koziuk Photography (www.nkoziukphotography.com)

    food or other perks. Check a location near you for local details. Feel better and crush your weekly step goal by starting to train today.

  4. You Can Do it Anywhere with a Virtual 5k. Challenge yourself and show the world what people living with an ostomy are capable of. Be a visible presence and walk/run anywhere you’d like in your community. Represent the resilience of all ostomates. Take photos of you and your friends doing the 5k and inspire others on social media.
  5. Win an exclusive designer ostomy pouch cover. Legendary Nashville fashion designer Manny Cuevas (a proud ostomate and race organizer) is hand making a pouch cover and it can be yours by registering as an ostomate and placing in the top 3 at each location or by gathering one of the biggest groups of family or friends to walk or run with you for the Virtual 5k.
  6. Get a free Ostomy Awareness Sticker. Register for the Virtual Ostomy 5k or pick one up at any of our 9 locations. You’ll also get a free race bib!
  7. Get a World Ostomy Day T-Shirt and Represent the USA. Register by Sept. 17th to be guaranteed your preferred race t-shirt size. Run athletic shirts are included with all event locations ($15 for the Virtual 5k). It’s the official event of #OstomyDayUSA, tag on social media to share your photos.colostomy bag, run for resilience, ostomy pouch, stoma bag, ostomy 5k, run for resilience
  8. Discover a New Ostomy Supply or Resource. Stop by sponsor and ostomy supply company display tables, or chat with a UOAArepresentative at events across the country.
  9. Get Outside and Run in Scenic Locales. The first week in October is a beautiful time of year and runs take place among some breathtaking beauty. A historic trail in Durham, lakeside in Michigan and Arizona, riverside parks in New Jersey, Nashville, Portland, Pennsylvania and Boise, along tree-lined streets in Birmingham, or your favorite spot with the Virtual 5k.
  10. You can Go at Your Own Pace or Cheer from the Sidelines. People of all ages and athletic backgrounds take part in the Ostomy 5k. An ostomate typically wins one of the runs while in others they are among the final finishers. It’s all about what resilience means to you.

Register or donate today at www.ostomy5k.org!

They Run for You: Ostomy 5k Celebrates 5 Years

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Support the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k at Events from Coast to Coast or with your own Virtual Run/Walk.

By Ed Pfueller, UOAA

Ostomate and two-time Durham Run for Resilience winner Collin Jarvis.

It was a hit from the start. Five years ago two ostomy nurses in Durham, North Carolina, Lara Leininger and Angela Richardson, had the belief that the ostomy community deserved its own awareness run and walk. “We wanted to educate the community about ostomy surgery and how persons living with an ostomy can achieve anything,” Lara says. “We want to encourage ostomates to be active and be proud of their resilience.”

Runners have done that and more at the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k. Collin Jarvis lives with an ostomy and has won the Durham run two years in a row. Preconceived notions someone may have had about living with a “colostomy bag” are likely shattered when you’re left in the dust by a runner with an ostomy pouch.

Events always coincide with annual Ostomy Awareness Day or World Ostomy Day (which is held every three years) on the first Saturday in October. “This is our 5th year doing this race and we have brought a great deal of positive ostomy awareness to our local community and now nine communities nationwide.” The event also raises much-needed funds for UOAA to continue to support, raise awareness, advocate and provide educational programs for the ostomy community.”

Ostomy 5k co-founders Angela Richardson and Lara Leininger at the Durham, NC event.

Community members, families pushing strollers, and serious runners join in the fun every year on the scenic routes all over America. In North Carolina nurses and hospital employees also compete against themselves in a fundraising challenge, the victor taking home bragging rights and a golden toilet trophy.

“It’s awesome to see an ostomate finish first, but the run is also about all those who have come back from this lifesaving surgery and have struggled in life with an ostomy. You are all resilient just by your everyday accomplishments,” says UOAA President Susan Burns. Several people have walked at least part of the course just months after surgery, while for others it provides inspiration to set a goal, overcome fears, and run/walk this distance for the very first time.

“A majority of the public does not know what an ostomy is and if they do, most have a negative connection with ostomy surgery. There are a lot of myths that we try to bust. Those living with an ostomy live active lives, can be young, middle-aged, old, healthy, confident, etc. Ostomy surgery saves lives and a lot of times improves a person’s life!” Lara says. These 5k events are a visible declaration to communities that ostomates are here and deserve support. Stigmas melt away when people attend these events.

What was once was a North Carolina local event has known spread to nine locations nationwide. You can also attend or support 5ks in Portland, Oregon, Birmingham, Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee, Boise, Idaho, Harrison Township, Michigan, Pennsauken, New Jersey, Mesa, Arizona and East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Luckily you don’t need to be near an event to participate or support it. With the Virtual Ostomy 5k anyone can run or walk in their favorite neighborhood spot, or even on a treadmill. You can gather friends and form a team. We’ll even mail you out a free official bib number and a race tech t-shirt ($15) to join this worldwide event that takes place on World Ostomy Day, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. You can donate to runners or events near you, or on a national level.

The Arizona Ostomy 5k Fun Run/Walk will feature a picnic and games this year for World Ostomy Day.

This year’s World Ostomy Day theme is “Speaking Out Changes Lives” and the Run for Resilience is the official U.S. event during this worldwide celebration. All runs will take place that morning with the exception of Boise, Idaho on Saturday, October 13.

“UOAA makes an ostomy patient feel like they are part of a community and that they are not alone. They direct patients to support groups, answer questions, provide education, and allow them as a patient to give back by being a part of the UOAA. It’s best resource for anyone with an ostomy.” Says Michelle Pitylak who is organizing a first-year event on the shores of Lake St. Clair.

Also new this year is a 5k in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania and the Tennessee run is moving to the “Music City” in Nashville. Both events are timed and certified 5ks and organized by dedicated ostomy nurses. Nashville Fashion Design icon and ostomate, Manny Cuevas, is helping to make the event in Two Rivers Park one to remember.

Another first year of event will be a homecoming of sorts. United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) was founded in Southern New Jersey in 2005 and this year a timed 5k run/walk will be held in Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, NJ that has views of the skyline of neighboring Philadelphia.

The second oldest event is the Portland, Oregon Fun Run which returns for its fourth year. Runner and ostomate Lianne Weller is excited for this year’s run in the Milwaukie River Park. “I think the ostomy race is a great way to bring individuals, their family and friends together in a carefree activity. The 5k race also allows other ostomates to build confidence and breakdown barriers to getting back into physical shape; going one step closer to their goal. One particular aspect I look forward to when it comes to races like this, is being able to not let my ostomy be a barrier to meeting new people. I feel more confident and less self-conscious because I’m surrounded by individuals who have all gone through similar obstacles.”

The Central Alabama WOC Nurses’ Association is proud to bring the Ostomy 5k fun run to Alabama for the third time. Also returning is the successful Fun Run in Mesa, Arizona. Organizer and double ostomate Roxanne Camp is planning a great time at her picnic and 5k in Red Mountain Park. “Ostomies save lives they don’t take them,” is her personal motto.

Now in its third year the certified time 5k run in Boise, Idaho is a true community event. The driving force behind it is Megan Herrett, a mother of two children with an ostomy who wants to see her community be more accepting and educated about people living with an ostomy. If you attend prepare to be inspired by the young people running in support of their friends at this event. Attending or donating to any one of these events provides a public voice for the ostomy community nationwide, and funds raised ensure that the next person who has this life-saving surgery will get the support and information they need.

All runs are family-friendly and will feature sponsor tables and run bags. Several include a silent auction, giveaways, kids run, music, food and more. Check for information about an event near you on Facebook or www.ostomy5k.org, and Run, Walk, Volunteer, Cheer and Fundraise to support the ostomy community and UOAA!