UOAA’S LATEST NEWS

Going Out with IBD and an Ostomy: Finding Confidence Through Solo Activities

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Before my Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) diagnosis at age 17, I always wanted to go to live events: concerts, listening parties, book signings, etc. But as a teen, I knew I held myself back. I didn’t want to look silly by showing up alone,…

Bruce’s Ostomy Journey with Moldable Technology

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Bruce Levinson shares his personal ostomy journey — from diagnosis and early challenges with leaks to discovering solutions that helped restore his confidence and lifestyle. In this first episode of Convatec's Ostomy Real Stories series, Bruce…

Smashing Cancer and Stoma Stigma

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This journey isn’t just about survival. It’s about mindset. It’s about showing that life doesn’t end with an ostomy, it just changes. And sometimes, that change can lead to a purpose you never saw coming.
Jermaine & Catrone Turner of Jpixstudios

The Intersection of Race and Health: Advocating for Patients in Education and Access

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By Michael Ashley Turner Having physicians not listen to you Not being taken seriously Not having affordable health options Having organizations want to use your story but not see representation of people that look like you on their…

Gloria the Phoenix

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Remembering Gloria by Bob Kwiatkowski Gloria and I met by chance in November of 1969. I was driving with a friend down 8 mile road in Detroit. Gloria was with two of her friends in a car that passed us by. We caught up and started flirting…

Finding Community, Purpose, and Voice After Colorectal Cancer and Permanent Colostomy

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By: Sandra James, ACSW Instagram.com/@colostomyforever www.youtube.com/@SandraJames-LivingIt When I was diagnosed, the first emotions that hit me were disappointment, confusion, and shame. I had spent months believing hemorrhoids were…

UOAA Supports Colorectal Cancer Survivors

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By Cheryl Ory, UOAA President While advances in cancer treatments rise the news on colorectal cancer has been alarming. Colorectal Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and the number one cancer killer of people under…

10 Tips for Intimacy with an Ostomy

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Life with an ostomy can stir up deeply vulnerable questions: Will anyone love me like this? Does my ostomy bag make me unattractive? How can I be intimate while managing it? These anxieties often settle in the quieter corners of ostomy life, where many ostomates fear their bodies may never be chosen or desired. Chloe Olsen has spent her whole life learning what it means to live with an ostomy. In this blog, she draws on more than 20 years of lived experience to share an honest perspective on connection, communication, and confidence. Her insights offer reassurance, perspective, and a reminder to fellow ostomates that they are worthy of love without conditions.  

Gratitude on High: An Ostomy Patient’s Journey of Faith, Community, and Black History

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By Tonya Kelly As I drove down East Main Street in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, time stopped. There it was my banner hanging proudly among so many incredible community members being honored for Black History Month. I pulled over, overwhelmed by…

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