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  • 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…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Lilly Singh’s ‘Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai?’: My Anthem for Body Positivity

    April 1, 2019

    Why My IBD Scars Make Me Proud

    May 23, 2019

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

    September 4, 2019
  • colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  Ostomy,  Ostomy Awareness Day,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020

    Many of us with chronic illnesses have struggled throughout this pandemic with accessing timely care. One issue I’ve faced is because of my gastroparesis and other functional gastrointestinal conditions (IBS, SIBO etc.) acting up, my weight has been fluctuating a lot these last several months. As a result, my stoma size has been changing every week or two. With that, I’ve suffered a lot of ostomy leaks but even more skin irritation. While I’ve worked with my ostomy nurse virtually the last couple months to get my skin issues under control, I keep thinking of my ostomate family online and how you all may be handling your ostomy care in…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Feature in Everyday Health as #EverydayWoman

    February 22, 2019

    Real Talk about Ostomies

    October 5, 2018

    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020
  • Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  Diet,  living with IBD,  Nutrition,  Ostomy,  Ostomy Awareness Day,  Ulcerative Colitis

    IFFGD #DDHChat: Nutrition for the Ileostomy – The Dietitian & Patient Perspectives

    October 18, 2020

    The Diet & Digestive Health (#DDHChat) Twitter chat series with the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD), co-host Tina Aswani Omprakash and lead host dietitian Neha D. Shah, MPH, RD, CNSC, CHES. We are excited to help to educate patients, caregivers, and others about Nutrition for the Ileostomy: The Dietitian and Patient Perspective. Recap originally published by IFFGD on October 6th, 2020: https://www.iffgd.org/blog/october-2020-ddhchat-recap.html IFFGD – introductory tweets and remarks: The views and experiences shared by our participant are their own and do not reflect the official positions of IFFGD. Each patient is different. Always consult with your health care provider or a registered dietitian (RD) on a diet treatment plan…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Ostomy, My Lifesaver

    October 3, 2019

    World PTSD Day 2019: The Faceless Woman

    June 27, 2019

    The Top 10 IBD Blogs to Follow in 2019

    March 15, 2019
  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    How to Vacation (or Staycation) Safely During the Pandemic

    August 14, 2020

    **CAUTION: ONLY TRAVEL WITH THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN AND IF PANDEMIC NUMBERS ARE LOW IN YOUR AREA & THE LOCATION IN WHICH YOU ARE TRAVELING. PUBLIC HEALTH & WELFARE IS EVERYONE’S RIGHT & RESPONSIBILITY** Being chronically ill and immunocompromised is hard enough, add a pandemic into the mix, and it feels impossible to get out and do the things you love. Particularly for those of us who have spent so much time in hospital beds or at home recovering from disease flare-ups and/or surgeries, that when we feel well, we want to seize the day. Seizing that moment though has been next to impossible during the COVID-19 era. This…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020

    Taryn’s Journey: Navigating Relationships and IBD During the Pandemic

    April 1, 2021

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020
  • advocacy,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  fistula,  Fistulizing Disease,  J-Pouch,  Mental Health,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Self-image,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Women's Health

    FitWitMD’s Live Discussion on Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease

    August 7, 2020

    A couple weeks ago, esteemed IBD specialist, Dr. Neilanjan Nandi (@fitwitmd) of Penn Medicine, hosted a live discussion with me on my experiences around Perianal Fistulizing Crohn’s Disease. We opened up the discussion to an international audience and allowed for a Q&A on this very deeply stigmatized topic that’s often not discussed or understood very well. To view the video, please watch here: I have been very open about my struggles with multiple fistulae in female parts. I have lived with 5 rectovaginal fistulae and 1 pelvic transphinteric fistula that was headed to break through at the site of my tailbone, nearly paralyzing me. To read more about my experiences,…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    The Value of Awareness & Advocacy During the Holidays

    December 21, 2018

    Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives

    November 22, 2019

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020
  • Ableism,  acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma

    Indian Ostomate Podcast Show: Episode 1 with Tina Aswani Omprakash

    July 23, 2020

    I recently had the honor of being interviewed by the very kind, positive and uplifting Indian ostomate and advocate named Dinesh Kundnani. Dinesh is someone who I came across early in my own journey as an ostomy advocate and it’s amazing to witness how he’s transformed from new ostomate to a seasoned one. Dinesh now helps others in India especially by showing his ostomy and helping to destigmatize what is considered to be a very taboo medical device. Early on in our interview, Dinesh asked if I would do this podcast show in the Hindi language! I was dumbfounded in the moment but I quickly agreed as I realized how…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    What IBD Awareness Means to a South Asian American Woman with Crohn’s

    June 17, 2020

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020

    The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide

    October 17, 2019
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Black Lives Matter,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  Disability Justice,  Healthcare Disparities,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Black Lives Matter in the IBD Community, Too

    July 10, 2020

    In recent weeks, months and years, we have witnessed far too many hate crimes toward our Black brothers and sisters. It is not unknown to us that many Black bodies have been tested upon without fair pain medications, expected to endure tremendous suffering in the name of science. Within the healthcare system, not only do Black folx face significant health disparities and delays to diagnosis, they also deal with uphill battles when it comes to accessing good insurance, care and treatment options. With this blog post, I aim to shed light on the stories of 8 lovely Black inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients while sharing the resources of 3 die-hard…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    South Asian IBD & COVID-19

    January 26, 2021

    Allowing Acceptance In

    November 21, 2018

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

    August 7, 2018
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  Disability Justice,  Healthcare Disparities,  LGBTQ+ health,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

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

    June 22, 2020

    By Michelle Cabral My symptoms first started around the age of 11. As I grew into my teenage and adult years, my symptoms worsened. I found myself dealing with bathroom urgency and vomiting on a daily life. I distinctly remember when I was about the age of 16, my mother and I were leaving a restaurant after a night out and I had already vomited. I still remember her saying something to the effect of “one day you’ll be able to go out for dinner and not feel like this.” Little did she know that my life would continue with this trajectory and I would finally be diagnosed via colonoscopy…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Step in Our Shoes: A Discussion on Being an Ally to the Black Community

    June 20, 2020

    My Ostomy, My Lifesaver

    October 3, 2019

    Accepting My Crohn’s Disease to Finally Become Me

    January 15, 2024
  • Ableism,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  fistula,  Mental Health,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Women's Health,  World IBD Day

    What IBD Awareness Means to a South Asian American Woman with Crohn’s

    June 17, 2020

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash Originally published in IBD Relief on May 18th, 2020: https://www.ibdrelief.com/ibd-stories/my-ibd-story-tina-aswani-omprakash I remember waking up from a surgery to repair a rectovaginal fistula in late 2011 and being yelled at by an elderly family member for ruining their lives. Even though I was still in a haze in the recovery room, the tears of pain and anguish washed over me. Whether it was my body violating me with perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease or family and friends constantly reminding me of how much of a burden I was, the floodgates opened in that moment as I asked that family member to please excuse themselves from the recovery area. You see, it’s really…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020

    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  coping with flares,  Crohn's,  fistula,  Gastroparesis,  invisible illness,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  PTSD,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Talking Gut Podcast Episode 20: Tina Aswani Omprakash on Resilience & GRITT

    May 30, 2020

    As May, a month of several health initiatives, comes to a close, I wanted to highlight Mental Health Awareness Month, World IBD Day and World Digestive Disease Day by talking about all three in my latest podcast interview with Dr. Jim Kantidakis, Clinical Psychologist & Gut-Directed Hypnotherapist, at the Gut Centre in Australia. In his podcast titled Talking Gut, I discuss the power of resilience, that so-called grit that living with Crohn’s Disease, multiple fistulae, a permanent ileostomy, gastroparesis, IBS and SIBO have given me over the years. Dr. Kantidakis asks me how I got through all my hospitalizations and faced all the medical PTSD and I would have to…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    A Valentine’s Day Special: Dating & Relationships with an Ostomy

    February 25, 2020

    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019

    My 9/11 Story: Paying Kindness Forward

    September 11, 2019
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Recent Posts

  • Feb 18, 2025 How to Own Your Crohn’s & Ostomy While Traveling to India
  • Jan 05, 2025 Key Takeaways from Advances in IBD (AIBD) 2024
  • Dec 05, 2024 Navigating Mental Health in Crohn’s Disease 
  • 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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