Hey everybody, the ostomy support website C3Life now has pages on two popular social networking sites.
Visit their Twitter page at: http://twitter.com/C3Life.
Visit their Facebook fan page at: C3Life Ostomy.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Archive for the ‘Links’ Category
The IBD Quilt Project
August 27, 2009Those with crafty inclinations might be interested in this unique non-profit the IBD Quilt Project. This group creates quilts with squares contributed by those suffering with bowel diseases, then displays the quilts in a variety of venues across the country.
For those who have suffered with a disease the project gives opportunities to make a square yourself and mail it to them. Finished quilts can then be booked for fundraisers, hospital waiting rooms, outreach events, or group meetings.
This project is just another example of people using their talents to fight bowel disease. For those looking for a way to get involved, you can a) make a square for the quilt (no sewing skills required, they say), b) donate money to help the quilts get sent around the country, or c) request a quilt be shipped to your next IBD-related event to help raise awareness for the disease.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Friends of Ostomates Worldwide
August 25, 2009Apparently there’s something else you can do with your old ostomy supplies besides this.
The Friends of Ostomates Worldwide is a nonprofit group dedicated to giving clean and new ostomy supplies to people in countries that may not have access to these vital medical products. The FOW collects surplus or new ostomy supplies from generous individuals and brings these supplies to other countries periodically. Check their FAQ for details, but if you have plenty of leftover supplies after your takedown surgery, consider sending those supplies their way. Or, donate financially to help pay shipping costs.
Either way, you can’t go wrong donating to this organization. Imagine being an ostomate in a third-world country with limited access to supplies. I don’t even know what they’d do if they ever ran out of supplies.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
C3Life: Ostomy Community Website
June 18, 2009This site’s been around for awhile, but maybe you haven’t heard of it: C3Life. The C’s stand for your “Ostomy Community Connection Center.” This community outreach service, sponsored by Hollister, is one of the most comprehensive ostomy support sites I’ve found yet.
The website features a plethora of useful and well-written articles about healthy living, travel, sports, work, and relationships. The site also features success stories from others, information on finding the right ostomy product, and news relevant to the ostomy community.
This is one site you will want to bookmark and come back to again and again. For new ostomates it will let you know that you are not alone in this way of life, and there are plenty of resources to support you.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
Visit this site ASAP.
Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Awareness
March 12, 2009Hey everybody, I’d like to draw your attention today to Lisa, who has familial adenomatous polyposis (what a mouthful!). This is a disease that causes numerous polyps to grow in the colon, eventually leading to colon cancer. This disease is genetic and over half a dozen people in her immediate family have this disease. When the disease is caught early enough, treatment is similar to treatment for ulcerative colitis, including surgery to remove the colon.
And since it is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, Lisa wanted to draw people’s attention to this disease and to colon cancer. I don’t talk much about other colon diseases on this site but certainly those of us with ulcerative colitis are in this together with those who have other diseases. It’s really all the same, isn’t it? Our colons aren’t working and there’s not much we can do to fix things.
Lisa has two blogs that she maintains, Only for Moms and Mommies to Mommies. Though these sites have motherhood in the name, Lisa assures me they’re for everybody.
Those of us on the inside know the importance of colonoscopies in diagnosing illnesses early (those who have colons still) and colon cancer can be defeated if caught early enough. You’ve all heard the Public Service Announcements on TV that recommend that people over 50 get screened for colon cancer. If you fall into this category, don’t put it off! Colonoscopies really aren’t that bad compared to sickness.
So check these sites out and educate yourself on other bowel diseases.
Keep fighting,
~Dennis
