I had to get a colostomy at the age of fifteen. Ten years later and I am a die-hard snowboard shredder. Being a snowboarder with an ostomy bag is an exciting life for sure. I have to take great care to not have bad falls, or I can risk rupturing my pouch, which would not be a good time. The weather plays a significant factor in my life as my sport requires snow to be done. However, there are some upsides to having an ostomy bag as a snowboarder. 

At the age of fifteen, your body is going through a lot of changes still, and I had a big one. I consistently had pains in my abdomen shortly after I would eat. This digestive problem seemed to be getting serious, so my mom took me to the doctor to find out I had an infection in my abdomen, and the only treatment was to get a colostomy. I was devastated, I had just gotten into snowboarding and was loving it I thought this was going to ruin any future of snowboarding, but my doctor told me so long as I am careful I will be alright. Little did he know I was a psycho on the board, wich probably wasnt the best for my new situation. In highschool I got bullied form time to time about it but I had good people around me who had my back.  

The weather has a significant impact on my life. If it is too cold, I can not go snowboarding as the cold still hurts my stoma, and I am not too keen on falling on ice. I do need to take precautions when I’m snowboarding. If I take a terrible tumble, I run the risk of my ostomy bag bursting open and, I along with everyone else do not want to see or smell that. An upside to snowboarding is how free i feel. I forget all about my situation. I also do not have to worry about taking a bathroom break wich can be nice as i can get the most of my time on the slopes. 

Im currently talking with a few jacket comapens to see if i can get a custom jacket made. Ive heard of people with reinforced jacked that protect the ostomy pouch. If i had something like this I would feel a lot for confident in my snowboarding tricks. My family is very supportive of me and my sport. They all enjoy coming with me when i go snowboarding and watching me along with shredding with me. I also enjoy their company. Snowboarding has also made me a lot of close friends who dont care about my ostomy bag. I am happy to have people around me who see me for who i am and see past my circumstances.

As a snowboarder who had gotten a colostomy at the age of fifteen ive had hurdles to overcome but with the support of my family i have been able ot overcome any obstacles i have had faced. I am happy to have found something I am passionate about that I am still able to do with my situation. I try to inspire others like me who dont think they can keep doing what they love. I am hoping to prove everyone wrong.