Celebrate World Ostomy Day with UOAA!

By Jeanine Gleba, UOAA Advocacy Manager and Ed Pfueller, UOAA Communications and Outreach Manager

Each year United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) celebrates Ostomy Awareness Day in the United States on the first Saturday of October. Coincidentally, every three years on the first Saturday it is World Ostomy Day. This year we are celebrating World Ostomy Day around the globe on Saturday, October 4, 2025.  The International Ostomy Association determined this year’s theme as “Invisible Disabilities. Visible Support. The Global Unity of Ostomates. The goal of this theme is “Bringing light to uncover the invisible ostomy and create visible support. Fostering conversation, global awareness, and ensuring equity for our communities both locally and globally.” 

UOAA hopes everyone will be part of the “Visible Support” so many people are seeking after surgery. We also recognize that not all people living with an ostomy feel a connection to the  “Invisible Disabilities” theme but we seek to educate all ostomates on their workplace rights and federal ADA protections. Together we can raise positive awareness and smash stigmas to ensure all ostomates are universally accepted and treated equally with dignity and respect.

This year UOAA has named Keely Cat-Wells as this year’s World Ostomy Day Champion. “Being a World Ostomy Day Champion is a huge honour. It’s about using my platform to bring visibility to a community that is too often overlooked, even within the wider disability movement. Having an ostomy has shaped so much of my lived experience, and I know how isolating it can feel when society erases or stigmatizes something so fundamental to your health and survival,” she says.

We’re also excited to announce that UOAA has become members of the Hidden Disabilities: Sunflower Program. Have you seen the Sunflower? This is a global program whose tagline is “Making the invisible visible.” which makes them the perfect partner for this year’s World Ostomy Day! The Sunflower empowers individuals to voluntarily share that they have a non-visible condition and may need additional help, understanding, or simply more time.  Sunflower members iinclude companies such as United Airlines and LEGO and airports around the world. UOAA is working with them to create dedicated ostomy-content on their website. Check out the upcoming Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Conversations Podcast on October 4 where our champion Keely Cat-Wells appears alongside Nate Hadlock, Chair of UOAA’s Patient Advisory Board.

A Special Edition of Ostomy Academy

To kick-off the weekend events and celebrate World Ostomy Day UOAA is partnering with the nonprofit organizations South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA), Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses and Cheeky Charity for a special edition Ostomy Academy on Cultural Influences on Ostomy Life on Friday, October 3, 2025 at noon EST. In this conversation, we’ll address the unique challenges people may face within their communities—based on their ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, or gender—and explore the support systems that can help. Register here.

Find or be the “Visible Support”

Visible ostomy support can come in many forms such as becoming a member of one of UOAA’s 285 Affiliated Support Groups.  Despite assurances from medical professionals, people facing ostomy surgery may feel scared or isolated. There is no substitute for peer support, the visual proof provided by someone who has had similar surgery and learned to live well with an ostomy.

What better “visible support” is there then being an “ostomy friend”? UOAA is proud to partner with Embracing Ostomy Life in the Team HOPE program. Team HOPE matches volunteer veteran/established people living with an ostomy, who have completed UOAA’s online “Ostomy Friends” training course, with new ostomates. Connections are made based on factors like gender, type of ostomy, lifestyle, and age. Get involved in this person-to-person support to help new ostomates achieve an optimal physical, mental and social recovery.

Another great form of visible ostomy support is attending the festive atmosphere of one of our eight Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k events around the country or join the Virtual Ostomy 5k in your corner of the world! This year’s World Ostomy Day T-Shirt is still available to virtual participants who sign-up by September 23rd! These events are also a critical fundraiser for the services and programs provided by UOAA so even if you don’t want to walk, roll, or run, consider cheering others on and a donation to celebrate the resilience of all people living with an ostomy.

Ostomy companies are another visible form of support for the community and their Ostomy 5k event sponsorships help off-set costs and make these gatherings possible. Many will have reps on hand to share products and talk with attendees. See the World Ostomy Day page for all the ways sponsors are celebrating online and at events.

Share your “Visible Support” on Social Media

Give thanks for your Support! Use social media to highlight the people, groups, orgs or resources that have supported you in life with an ostomy. Use Hashtags like #WorldOstomyDay #VisibleSupport #InvisibleDisabilities and be sure to tag UOAA.

We make it easy to share even if you are not on social media you can click on a storyprompt here here to record a video automatically or leave a text response or photos for our collection of “Visible Support” stories!

However you choose to celebrate, let us know! Share your photos and ideas for raising ostomy awareness this year with UOAA. 

To learn more and get involved in World Ostomy Day 2025 please visit https://www.ostomy.org/world-ostomy-day/