Ever since the ANA adventure began, I’ve had the privilege of meeting new people. I have met mostly women, who are all different from each other but equally inspiring. The story began after Andréanne was diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). She became an ostomate four years ago. After talking with several ostomates, we found out that there is a lack of support and post-operative resources. Some of them were lucky enough to meet an enterostomal nurse, but unfortunately this was not the case for everyone. There are many support organizations, but none of them fit their personal needs. Moreover, networks of ostomates are small, little known groups that don’t really represent various age ranges. After finding all this, my partners and I decided to start an alternative blog with three main goals: inspire, inform, and entertain. Our collaborators talk about their personal development, their worries, their daily lives, etc.

It may seem trivial for them to openly talk about their personal and even their sexual life like that. Writing about your life like this is kind of like telling it to 20 000 people at the same time. It’s embarrassing and it’s not at the same time, because they are proud, and they are convinced that undergoing surgery was the solution to their problems. I will always remember when one of our collaborators told us that with us, everything surrounding their stoma became "normal". We can talk about both flanges and temperature. That is what is so great in a community where there are no taboos and everyone understands each other.

I think what makes our work rewarding is seeing our collaborators grow through their writings. It allows them to open up, share, help others and grow. They help others accept their disease, and help them choose to live and be a winner instead of suffering. All of this also helps our collaborators grow. I think it helps them become aware of their own strenghts, and it makes them understand that they are inspiring women. 

I hope ANA becomes an important community for people suffering from an IBD. I hope it becomes a reference for those who are diagnosed with an IBD, something to ease their concerns, and a well-established information source for ostomates. I hope we can meet the challenge and raise awareness about IBDs and make them less taboo in our society, and help research to make life easier for those suffering from chronic diseases.

ANA is not just an alternative blog, it is also an adapted project. We took the initiative to conceptualize and market a collection of underwears for ostomates. Andréanne noticed that the market was not really accessible, and she did not really like it. She had trouble finding a pair of underwear she liked! In early 2016, we will be offering high-waisted, adapted underwear for ostomate women. Our underwear line is appealing and elegant, and the lace makes it feminine. We are ambitious, so we would like to have a line for men as well in the future. I will tell you more about how our underwear line was designed from start to finish in another article.

Marie-Noël