I met with Dr. H and was given a pre-colostomy surgery home study packet. Two weeks later, I met Sara for the first time for final preparation before surgery. She answered all my questions that had come up while going through the information at home and marked my abdomen for the placement of the colostomy. What impressed me right away about Sara was not just her technical knowledge about the type of Colostomy I was going to have but her positive attitude about colostomies and the great improvements they can bring to a person's quality of life. She understood my concerns about surgery and seeing the stoma for the first time. Her enthusiastic encouragement about my ability to integrate the self-care necessary for living with a colostomy was a crucial factor in my post-surgery adjustment and healing. Because she framed the whole experience of living with a colostomy in such a positive and “do-able” light, I was able to go from a sense of shock at seeing the stoma and my abdomen to one of gratitude for the relief of bypassing the cancerous area for elimination and finally, to a readiness to learn what I had to learn to live with it day to day.

That was the first hurdle, the surgery. Then, Sara’s skills and kindness, and encouragement went into “high gear” at my next meeting with her at ABBCI for the post-op visit. We did a total change of my colostomy appliance. She brought in various products that could be helpful with maintaining healthy skin, offered several suggestions of things to try, showed me ways to handle problems, all the while offering encouragement and praise for the few things I was managing to do right. We spent about an hour and a half working together and I never felt rushed by her. I got the sense she wanted to help me with all of my concerns and would take as long as I needed.