Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

I'd like to introduce you all to Donna Mear, an advocate for IBD and ostomies. She is a brave woman who has fought and beat Ulcerative colitis. She's on a mission to prove to the world that ostomates are still beautiful people, males and females, and she will be showing the world in 29 days that ostomates can do ANYTHING they put their minds to, including zip wiring off the Tyne Bridge. Yes, this woman has plenty of GUTS, and here is her story:

I'm 32 years old, married to Paul, and have 2 beautiful children, Kieran (9 years old) and Evangelina (4 years old). I was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis in 2007 whilst 7 months pregnant with my daughter, Evangelina. Although, since childhood, I was diagnosed with IBS and hospitalized a few times due to it. My GP put my problems down to pregnancy! I lost 5 pints of blood from my behind; I was in a bad way and hospitalized. Surgery was mentioned, then, but I fought against it. Breastfeeding quickly brought my disease into remission, but I was never "normal." When I stopped feeding her in Easter of 2010, I quickly fell ill again. I worked my way through a lot of standard drugs for UC whilst on steroids. The steroids were tapered to see if they had made an impact, none did, and my dose was increased again! Thirteen months later, after being worn down, I, eventually, gave into surgery. I had my colon removed, and my ileostomy, Squirt, was formed on 5th of May 2011 at Rake Lane Hospital by the wonderful Mr. Box.

Since surgery, Squirt has given me my life back, and I have had many adventures!

If you'd like to contact Donna, you can do so through her website, http://www.thegeordieostomates.webeden.co.uk/, or her blog, http://squirtsblog.wordpress.com/. She is also available on Facebook, www.facebook.com/meardonna, and has a YouTube channel under the name, meardonna.

If you'd like to sponsor Donna as she prepares to zip wire off the Tyne Bridge, you can do so at www.sponsor-me.org/meardonna. Proceeds go to National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease, British Lung Foundation London, Ostomy Lifestyle, and Stomawise. Every little bit helps!

Donna has supplied me with some pictures; so I can introduce you to some new fashion tips on disguising your ostomy appliance in public.

Left

Left: Donna is wearing a flowing dress with a beautiful disguising pattern, black nylons (tights), and bold accessories. In a flowing dress, your ostomy is easily disguised because there is no fabric laying directly against your appliance; which usually causes your appliance to be a little bit visible. The bold pattern keeps your eyes moving over the entire dress instead of concentrating on one area. The black nylons (tights) are a great accessory to wear that can provide support for your appliance while wearing a dress. Her jacket and accessories, also, give your eyes direction away from her abdomen, forcing you to concentrate on the beauty of the outfit rather than searching for her ostomy. Right: Donna is wearing another flowing item, but this time, she adds a small belt to accentuate her waist line. Yes, it can be a bit risky if you're to wear a tighter garment, but she adds this accentuating touch very nicely by tying the belt loosely. Again, Donna is wearing bold accessories to draw your attention elsewhere. She is also wearing the perfect jacket; it lays right where her waist is, causing a narrowing effect of her waist, drawing your attention to the belt accessory.



Right



I want to thank Donna for showing us that with a few bold accessories, disguising prints, and flattering jackets, any of us can step outside the house proud of what we look like because our ostomy is invisible to the public.

Be comfortable. Be Sexy. Be you.