At this 5k the survivors are all
wearing ostomy pouches but nobody stands out. UOAA's Run for
Resilience Ostomy 5k smashes stigmas
and celebrates 10 years of awareness.
DURHAM,
N.C., Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Do
you think you'd know if someone was wearing an ostomy pouch?
Think again. One in five hundred people in the U.S. are living with
an ostomy - so without knowing it– you've encountered people who
have had this life-saving surgery.
"I am beyond proud of the dedication Lara
has for the Ostomy community that I am a part of. She inspires me,
educates me and supports me as an ostomate and as her mother!"
Osewalt says.
On Ostomy Awareness Day Saturday, October
5, 2024, the odds of meeting someone with this life-saving
surgery may increase. Over a thousand people will take to the
streets nationwide as United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)
celebrates ten years of the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k.
Many of those running, walking, or rolling will have had this
life-saving surgery as a result of cancer, IBD, abdominal trauma
and birth conditions. Other participants will be caregivers,
supporters, medical professionals and people learning what an
ostomy is for the first time. They'll have the chance to wear an
ostomy pouch too- just one they fill with oatmeal or applesauce
instead of their own bodily waste.
The idea for an Ostomy 5k started
in 2014 after wound, ostomy, and continence nurses Lara DuPree of the University of North Carolina and Angela Richardson of Duke decided to take on the stigmas surrounding the
patients they were most passionate about. "We knew we wanted to do
something for charity and also to let everyone know that there is
nothing a person with an ostomy can't do," DuPree recalls.
The next year this became more personal for DuPree who cared for
her mother Dani Osewalt after her
ostomy surgery for cancer. Her mom is now the event's biggest
cheerleader. "I am beyond proud of the dedication Lara has for the
Ostomy community that I am a part of. She inspires me, educates me
and supports me as an ostomate and as her mother!" Osewalt
says.
The Ostomy 5k was a hit from the
start and has now spread to eight events nationwide and a Worldwide
Virtual Ostomy 5k. "It has been
beautiful to see the ostomy awareness and communities that have
blossomed around the Run for Resilience," says UOAA President
Cheryl Ory.
In addition to the original 5k in
Durham, North Carolina the
family-friendly events will take place in Birmingham, Alabama; Rogers, Arkansas; Meridian, Idaho; Niles, Ohio; East
Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; and Downers Grove, Illinois on the first weekend
of October. The Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k is now the biggest fundraiser in support of
UOAA's nonprofit programs and services.
Other ways to celebrate Ostomy Awareness Day include online
events and ostomates sharing their #IAmLivingProof
#OstomiesAreLifesavers stories on social media. Several of UOAA's
277 Affiliated Support Groups nationwide are also planning
educational and social gatherings.
The Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k
is supported by Exclusive Diamond Sponsor Coloplast with additional
support from Hollister, Revel,
Convatec, Byram Healthcare, Safe n Simple and KEM Enterprises.
Media Contact
Ed Pfueller, United Ostomy
Associations of America (UOAA), 1 8008260826,
ed.pfueller@ostomy.org, https://www.ostomy.org/
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SOURCE United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)