About

I am from the midwest part of the United States. This can certainly mean a lot of different things. But one thing that it means is that sports are a way of life for most people. Sports were overemphasized during my childhood years and they were beyond expected. There was one major issue, and that was that I grew up with a stoma. It was not an easy thing to grow up with but the truth is that it was not really that bad either. Now I admit it that is athletic with an Ostomy bag was not seen as a friend winner when I was younger. One thing that actually kept me from going crazy or feeling bad was the fact that I was in sports. At first one may think this would instantly bring about a whole world of pain, but if you are decent at sports there is no reason a stoma should hold you back.

Even back then ostomy gear was good enough to get you through a basketball game with no issues. The main thing was to get a good seal and keep your bag secure. I used smaller bags for games and practice and was able to use a belt to secure them. I also used moister wicking clothing all mixed in together and made it all very possible. I started playing basketball when I was very young. It was simply part of life and I always worked hard to stay in shape and be ahead of the competition. That is also hard when you have a stoma, but since I worked at it constantly I never let my stoma get me down. I knew my body better then most people do and It was a real big help to my psychological well being.

I really played competitive basketball when I was in Junior high and that was the start of my career. Our motto then was to be the fastest team in the league. We were not tall and in fact, were the shortest team all 4 years in the State. Every national tournament we went to we were the underdogs. But this mentality was what made us so good and also helped me become so confident. It was these small victories that I took to heart and that helped me feel ok about being a basketball player with a stoma. People would find out and try to use it against me on the court, but it only made me more focused and play harder. It was also fun to creep people out and fake leaks as well.

But as time went on I learned that planning ahead was always the best way to not have to worry about your stoma. I worked hard to make sure I had all the gear I needed and to also be worry-free because of it. It sounds like a small thing, but just knowing you have everything you need helps you to not think about your stoma and simply live your life. This took me many years to learn. I became a bit of a control freak. So try not to control everything, but understand that things happen and you can overcome them as they happen. You win some and you lose some but it is how you grow from the losses that make you better.