Growing up, I loved being in the water; it was very calming and relaxing. As a swimmer with an ostomy bag, I get many odd looks any time I am about to dive in. not many people have seen a swimmer with s pouch attached to the abdomen wall. I can not say I blame them either. I have received some rude remarks with my ostomy terrible, but I just block them out. When I was in the seventh grade, I had a very had accident that left traumatic damage to my large intestine.
As a child, I loved the water being in it was very relaxing and made me feel calm. When I was in the seventh grade, I joined our school’s swimming and diving team. I was a strong swimmer growing up, and as much as I love the water, it seemed like a good idea. Before I could even begin my new swimming journey, I got in a bad accident. My father and I were going for a drive in his nineteen sixty-nine Camaro like we always do on Friday evenings. It’s a bonding time for us. When we got to a stoplight, we slowed down and came to a complete stop. When the light turned green, we gave it a second to two before my dad floored it. As soon as he did, I saw headlights on my right coming at us fast. We got T-boned very hard, and I was severely injured.
We were rushed to the hospital, where the doctor told me after looking at my injuries, I will need a temporary colostomy; otherwise, I will have improper bowel movements. I was devastated, but I knew it would only be temporary. After my procedure, I talked with my doctor and told him that I had just gotten on the swimming team for my school and affected my ability to swim. He began to say to me that I could still do that if I wished, but I would need to leave the bag on just in case. When I got back to school a week after my accident, I told my swimming coach what had happened, but I still wanted to be on the team. He accepted me with open arms sill. It felt good to be still wanted by them. My teammates were devastated. I got in the crash but was thrilled I was standing firm. I soon became the best swimmer on the team only a few weeks after my accident.
When I got to high school, I joined the team immediately, and everyone I swam with a few years ago in junior high was also with me. It felt good to have familiar faces around me. I slowly became one of the best swimmers the high school had in its lifetime. Whenever I’m at a meet, I get odd looks because of my ostomy bag, but my team has my back, and I generally come out on top in my section, so I like to let that do the talking to the naysayers and judgers.
I never expected to be on a swimming team, but I am glad that I joined it. When sophomore year came around, there was another person who joined the team that was just like me. I was there for him and had his back as my team had mine. I am getting my ostomy procedure reverted soon, so I am looking forward to that, and I want to see how that will affect my swimming. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people who always are looking out for me and standing up for me. I need to find a way to repay them someday.
Crohn's Chronicle 