At the time, we lived in a very rural part of Montana. My husband worked on a ranch 6-7 days a week, and I was a stay-at-home mother. To set my mind at ease and calm my fears of surgery, my family physician connected me with a woman living with a stoma willing to share her story. We arranged to meet her at her home. When we arrived at her house she was on the roof helping her husband replace shingles! I had convinced myself ileostomy surgery would end any sort of normalcy in my life, and I immediately felt better after our visit.

I know the surgery saved my life but I still get frustrated sometimes feeling that I am  not "normal”.  We live 130 miles from any pharmacy or store that sells stoma supplies, and I have learned to keep plenty of supplies on hand. I can never forget about my stoma. I have worked full time since 1990 after getting two 2-year degrees at our local community college. Our children have grown up, and we now have seven amazing grandkids. I am enjoying an adventure filled life with my family, and I feel like I haven’t missed out on anything!

Our adventures include zip-lining with my 12-year-old grandson at Mount Rushmore and fishing for two days in Alaska a few years back. (I was a little anxious wondering how to empty my pouch on the boat, but it turned out fine.) My husband and I go hiking when we can and ride our bicycles all summer. We fly from Wyoming to Texas a couple of times a year to see our sons and their families. My life is good.