The Intimate Ostomate

Imagine if we hadn't survived what we survived. We wouldn't be here to feel the tender touch of a lover or the profound love that comes from deep companionship. But we DID survive. We DID live to see another day.

So why do so many of us spend our precious lives trying to convince ourselves that we're no longer worthy of love, desire, or intimacy because our bodies have changed?

Sadly, the surgery that saved our lives often leaves us feeling broken, undesirable, or somehow less than we were before. But it doesn't have to be that way.

After my first body-altering surgery in 2012, I believed my life, and especially my intimate life, would never be the same. Years later, when I faced another life-changing surgery that left me with a permanent ostomy, I knew I had a choice. I could crumble under the weight of shame again, or I could learn to rebuild my confidence and reclaim the life I'd fought so hard to keep. I chose the second path.

Through changing my beliefs, I discovered that confidence, sensuality, and meaningful intimacy were available to me without changing my body.

Today, I feel confident, desirable, and deeply grateful for the life I almost didn't get to live. And I want others to feel the same freedom.