diversity – Own Your Crohn's

Coming Out, Crohn's, Dating & Relationships, diversity, LGBTQ+ health, living with IBD, Minority Health, Pride, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health

This Love Takes Guts

October 11, 2021

Our love isn’t simple, but it’s also the easiest feeling in the world. Being a woman in the LGBTQ+ community, I assumed that I would always have to come out over and over again throughout the course of my life. But when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s at 19 and had my first surgery at 20, I realized that I would have to come out about multiple parts of who I am for the rest of my life. It wasn’t until I found Girls with Guts in 2016 that I found a group of people that I finally didn’t have to go through the process of coming out to, at…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash
Asian American Pacific Islander Month, autoimmune disease, coping with flares, Cultural Stigma, diversity, living with IBD, Minority Health, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health

Demi’s Journey: Coming Out with Ulcerative Colitis as a Filipino Woman

May 3, 2021

I sat on the toilet for the tenth time that day, clueless about what was going on inside of me. For the past seven months, I had been experiencing episodes of bloody diarrhea and had yet to be diagnosed. My ass was spewing blood and I was worried that I am losing a lot of it. I thought to myself: if I were back home in the Philippines, I would probably hear someone say “Baka kinulam ka” (“Someone probably hexed you”). Filipinos, although predominantly Catholic, have their share of beliefs – both superstitious and supernatural. Kulam, a form of folk magic, is one of them. I turned 40 three months ago and…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash
acceptance, advocacy, Arab American Heritage Month, awareness, coping with flares, Crohn's, Cultural Stigma, diversity, living with IBD, Mental Health, Minority Health, National Minority Health Month, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health

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

April 18, 2021

“You have Crohn’s Disease.” That’s what my gastroenterologist told me after my first colonoscopy in 2003. I was 16 years old, and nobody in my family, except for my mom who is a doctor, had heard of the disease.For the last 18 years, I have experienced multiple hospitalizations, taken a plethora of medications, and contended with related symptoms and illnesses such as extreme weight loss, loss of hair, C. difficile, osteoporosis, and blood clots. I am a child of immigrants from Egypt, and grew up in a tightly knit Arab Muslim community in Minnesota. I absolutely loved it (still do) when we all got together for picnics, holidays, and gatherings.…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

Accepting My Crohn’s Disease to Finally Become Me
January 15, 2024

What Will People Think? ~A Short Documentary by Chealynn Feaster
December 27, 2019

Day on the Hill 2019: The Faces of IBD Legislation
May 11, 2019
acceptance, advocacy, awareness, coping with flares, Crohn's, diversity, living with IBD, Mental Health, Minority Health, stigma, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health

~OYC Trailblazers~ Anisha Zumba-ing Her Way into 2021!

January 28, 2021

This blog post has been done in collaboration with Girls With Guts Community Connection. By Anisha Gangotra My name is Anisha, I’m 37 years old and I live in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. I’ve lived with ulcerative colitis since 2008, from the age of 24. I experienced my first colitis symptoms following a two-week holiday abroad. My stomach hadn’t felt quite right but I’d also had my period when I was on holiday so I assumed that it was a mixture of jet lag, my body adjusting to a different environment and my menstrual cycle. I’ve always had a sensitive stomach so I didn’t think much of it. When…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

No More Secrets: An enlightening film that reveals the stigma of having an ostomy in India
September 24, 2018

Step in Our Shoes: A Discussion on Being an Ally to the Black Community
June 20, 2020

Real Talk About Fistulae
January 19, 2019
Body Positivity, cervical cancer, Dating & Relationships, diversity, Mental Health, Minority Health, Ostomy, Self-image, stigma, Women's Health

~OYC Trailblazers~ Jennylyn’s Ostomy Love Story in the Philippines

October 30, 2020

My name is Jennylyn Ajes and I’m 32 years old from Laguna, Phillippines. In 2018, I was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer, which means I had a tumor that had grown beyond the cervix and uterus.[1] During this time, I had undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy and brachytherapy. I had to do these therapies for 5 months total and none of it was easy. The brachytherapy required internal radiation therapy to get to the source of the cancer and try to wipe it out. I felt fine for the first 3 months after treatment but I really struggled with my confidence losing most of my hair and eyebrows due to…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

~OYC TRAILBLAZERS~ Katie’s Story: Baby-Making Prospects & Egg-Freezing with a J-Pouch
September 4, 2019

My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign
October 6, 2019

Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives
November 22, 2019
advocacy, Crohn's, diversity, Gastroparesis, health equity, Healthcare Disparities, Healthcare Marketing, living with IBD, Patient Voice, Ulcerative Colitis, Women's Health

MM&M Transform Talks: Prioritizing the Patient Voice

September 20, 2020

I recently had the opportunity to work with the MM&M Transform conference on a panel discussion on Prioritizing the Patient Voice in anticipation of their conference on September 29th-30th. A panel of 3 of us patient advocates (Tonya Cherie Hegamin, Type 1 Diabetes; Teresa Johnson, Multiple Sclerosis & Heart Disease; and me, Crohn’s Disease & Gastroparesis) discussed why it’s so important to engage patients in healthcare discussions, from digital health to biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. At the forefront of our conversation was a topic near and dear to all 3 of us: diversity, inclusion and health equity as well as medical accessibility for patients of color like ourselves. Check out our…

Read More

Tina Aswani Omprakash

Related Posts

IBD Awareness Week Line-Up: Diversity, Mental Health & More!
December 1, 2018

My Health Became My Top Priority
April 16, 2019

Clinical Trials: The Next Frontier for Diverse Populations of IBD Patients
July 31, 2019