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  • advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  Diet,  Emerging Therapies,  Fistulizing Disease,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Nutrition,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    5 Hot Topics Presented at Crohn’s & Colitis Congress 2019

    February 27, 2019

    I had the honor of attending the 2019 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress in Las Vegas, NV as a patient advocate and speaker on the Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease panel. From diet and nutrition to mental health and pregnancy in IBD, here are the most salient topics presented at the conference this year for us patients: https://www.oshihealth.com/crohns-congress-2019/ Originally published by Oshi Health, Inc., on February 26th, 2019. Written by Tina Aswani Omprakash Medically reviewed by Matthew Hamilton, MD  Please feel free to leave comments and feedback. I would love to hear your thoughts as always.

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Feature in Everyday Health as #EverydayWoman

    February 22, 2019

    Happy World IBD Day from Digestive Disease Week (DDW)!

    May 22, 2019

    When Diagnoses Accumulate – My Endometriosis Journey

    August 28, 2023
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  caregivers,  coping with flares,  hydration,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    OYC Trailblazers: Celebrating Melissa’s J-Pouch-versary

    February 25, 2019

    And February’s OYC Trailblazer is…wait for it…Melissa “Mush” Willner! This month marks one year since Melissa had her ostomy reversed and her j-pouch became fully functional. So what better time than now to have Melissa share her story? Here goes nothing…  Ulcerative Colitis has been a part of my life for over 20 years now.  I first learned of my diagnosis at the age of 7 in the 2nd grade. While my young mind was preoccupied with stickers and Rugrats, I was also learning about colonoscopies and mesalamines. My sleepovers were interrupted by enemas and I took my first doses of mesalamine crushed up in my bowls of Cocoa Pebbles.…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    ~OYC TRAILBLAZERS~ Spotlight on Malaysian Crohnie & Ostomate Saravanan

    April 22, 2020

    Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives

    November 22, 2019

    OYC Trailblazers: What Healing Means to Natasha

    March 26, 2019
  • advocacy,  awareness,  colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  Fistulizing Disease,  living with IBD,  Mindfulness,  Ostomy,  Pelvic pain

    My Feature in Everyday Health as #EverydayWoman

    February 22, 2019

    From Everyday Health’s Instagram: “Meet Tina Aswani Omprakash — the #IBD warrior and chronic illness advocate behind @ownyourcrohns. Tina was diagnosed with #Crohns disease 13 years ago and has since undergone over 20 surgeries, including a permanent #ostomy, four near-death experiences, and countless IBD-related manifestations and diagnoses. Tina is our #EverydayWoman today and everyday because despite her hardships with Crohn’s disease, she is passionate about leading a full and happy life and inspires others to do the same. Tina is an active leader in the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and often writes on her blog about living with an ostomy and other IBD-related issues. Her mantra is to celebrate life,…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Real Talk About Fistulae

    January 19, 2019

    Sophia’s Chronic Illness Journey: Forced Switching to Biosimilars in Canada

    December 15, 2019

    My 9/11 Story: Paying Kindness Forward

    September 11, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  Father's Day,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    OYC Trailblazers: An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior

    January 30, 2019

    This year I’m starting a new series called Own Your Crohn’s (OYC) TrailBlazers in which I share stories of other chronic illness warriors and their experiences. And who better to begin this series than my father, a long-time veteran of Crohn’s Disease?  Dr. Moti Aswani was born in New Delhi, India, and came to New York to study at the age of 21. And, oh, did he study! He held five degrees: a Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate in Electrical Engineering and Masters degrees in Philosophy and Business Administration. He was a Senior Systems Engineer for the prestigious Bell Labs in New Jersey for many years thereafter. On paper, he was…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Michelle’s Story on the Intersection of Crohn’s & an LGBTQIA+ Identity

    June 22, 2020

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019

    Being Brown and Coming Out of the IBD Closet: The Chronic Illness Experience

    August 7, 2018
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    OstomyConnection SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Harikesh Buch works to shatter stigma and improve post-surgery care for ostomates in India.

    January 24, 2019

    Dr. Harikesh G. Buch recognized the difficulties faced by homeless people in his home city of Mumbai early in his medical career. A skilled colorectal surgeon, he devoted himself to operating on those unable to pay for his services. Then something happened that changed the course of his life: At the age of 29, he was diagnosed with rectal cancer and underwent colostomy surgery, an operation that would serve as the focus of his volunteer work for many years to come. Dr. Buch recalls that he was “devastated” after the cancer diagnosis and, though it didn’t take him long to become accustomed to living with a stoma, he had initial…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    All of these exceptional women have won awards this year for their public advocacy efforts

    October 16, 2018

    The Other Side of Crohn’s: Caregiving

    December 9, 2019

    How a clinical trial helped this Crohn’s advocate finally reach remission

    November 24, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  Fistulizing Disease,  living with IBD,  Mindfulness,  Ostomy,  patient rights,  Pelvic pain,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Real Talk About Fistulae

    January 19, 2019

    As I sit here today with a very heavy heart typing out this blog post, I’m not sure if the excruciatingly painful nodule I felt earlier this week is just another health scare or yet another horrifying abscess from a fistula. I hold back tears as I wonder what my next steps are and what I can do to keep spiraling anxiety in check. Now many of you might be wondering what I’m even referring to–abscess? Fistula? What the heck are those and why am I such a mess over them? Well, get ready for some real talk about the most harrowing experience I’ve faced as a Crohn’s patient. According…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    World IBD Day Panel Discussion: Experiences of Minority IBD Patients & Caregivers

    May 23, 2020

    ~ OYC Trailblazers ~ Amy & Terrell: Crohn-ically Ever After

    September 23, 2020

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  Gratitude,  living with IBD,  Mindfulness,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

    January 5, 2019

    A journalist recently asked me, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years, Tina?” It was a mind-boggling question; I could barely wrap my head around the chronicity of my illnesses forget about thinking so far ahead into the future. The truth is I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, sickness or health, and I’m not so sure I want to even think about it. Sure, the future appears bright with many new medications and research in the pipeline to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). But one thing I’ve come to learn in all the ebbs and flows of living with IBD is that I need to live for today…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Basmah’s Journey: The Cultural Impacts of Being an Egyptian Crohnie

    April 18, 2021

    I’m Chronically Ill & Depressed; So What?

    June 3, 2019

    Allowing Acceptance In

    November 21, 2018
  • advocacy,  awareness,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  Holiday Season,  living with IBD,  Traveling with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    The Value of Awareness & Advocacy During the Holidays

    December 21, 2018

    The holiday season is a wonderful time to celebrate all the blessings in our lives. It is a time to reflect on a year that has passed and our resolutions for the upcoming new year. But it is also a time that can be difficult for many of us with chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). And this is where the importance of awareness and advocacy of our conditions come into the picture. As joyous of a time that the holidays are, many of us struggle to keep up with the shopping, the eating, the drinking, the travel and all the social merriment of the holiday season. Oftentimes,…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    World IBD Day Panel Discussion: Experiences of Minority IBD Patients & Caregivers

    May 23, 2020

    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    12 News to Your Health IBD Segment

    June 23, 2018
  • advocacy,  awareness,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    6 Myths About IBD in Minority Patients, Busted

    December 20, 2018

    Here are the most common misconceptions surrounding Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis in minority populations. By Brianna Majsiak Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis (UC) are not easy conditions to talk about. But an even rarer topic of conversation is how minority patients are affected by these chronic and debilitating diseases. Although IBD has predominantly affected whites in the past, a study published in August 2016 in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Disease found an increase in the rate of IBD in minority groups in the United States over the past two decades. “Patients may be reluctant to identify as having ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, so our current numbers may really underrepresent these minority groups,”…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    When Diagnoses Accumulate: My Gastroparesis Story

    August 29, 2019

    My Ostomy, My Lifesaver

    October 3, 2019

    Dropping Mask Mandates: A Time of Anxiety or Joy?

    March 15, 2022
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  patient rights,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    3 Patient Tips for Living & Thriving with Crohn’s or Colitis

    December 10, 2018

    On November 28th, 2018, in advance of Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, Everyday Health interviewed patient advocates, Will Lanier (The Out Foundation), Tina Aswani Omprakash (Own Your Crohn’s) and Gaylyn Henderson (Gutless & Glamorous), on three tips to share with patients on how to live and thrive with IBD. View the video below to hear our tips! (Courtesy of Everyday Health, 11/28/18)

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Michelle’s Story on the Intersection of Crohn’s & an LGBTQIA+ Identity

    June 22, 2020

    Real Talk about Ostomies

    October 5, 2018

    The Healio Disruptive Innovator Award: Moving the Needle on IBD Care

    November 16, 2019
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  • Dec 04, 2024 Highlights from ACG 2024: SAIA’s IBDesis’ Patient Experience
  • Nov 18, 2024 SAIA is proud to announce Tina Aswani-Omprakash, MPH as our full-time CEO!

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