My son was born with a defect. He was born with an imperforate anus. This means his anal opening was there when he popped out but it is improperly formed. This happened even before he was born. As he was growing in the womb for some reason his anal cavity was improperly formed. He could not pass stools properly. When the doctors saw this they needed to keep him for a bit longer in the hospital in order to look him over properly. After going back and forth with the doctor he finally told us what we can do to help make his life more comfortable. The doctor said my son will need to get a colostomy but it will be permanent. I later learned this is called an end ostomy as it can not be reverted after it is completed. 

No parent wants to hear their child has a birth defect, it is devastating but you still love them regardless. Once the doctor gave us the news I began to do some research to learn more about colostomies. The procedure is rather easy as it would seem. An end colostomy, the kind my son has, is a procedure where doctors go in and take the end of a patient’s colon and bring it to the front of the body. The end is passed through the abdomen wall to the exterior of the body through what is called a stoma. The stoma is a puffy pick red part on the skin. A bag is then placed over this area to catch any waste. 

My son has had a good life growing up. He has made a lot of friends in his class. He is now in the fifth grade. I am so relieved he has not experienced much bullying. The little bullying he has received he had a friend there to stick up for him every time, poor bully usually gets put in his place. My son is getting into watching sports, unfortunately he can not play many sports as any kind of hard hit would have drastic affects on his pouch. He and i do play catch in the back yard with either a football or a baseball and mits. It is an enjoyabel time and good bonding for us.

As he has grown up my son has become more aware of his situation and wants to be a public figure in the colostomy world. He has already come to me with ideas on how he can improve the pouches like making a bag with infused lotion to help with the skin irritation he and others like him experience. He also wants to do some public speaking on the topic and bring awareness to it so more people can understand what it is and how people are affected by it every day. He is only eighteen.  

I love my son and there is not anything I would change about him, he is perfect the way he is. He has had a relatively easy life with all things considered. He is surrounded by loving friends and family. He knows what he wants to do with his life and there is nothing that can get in his way to stop him. My son is my rock, he is more brave than i will ever be and more headstrong than his mother. We love our son for how and who he is.