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Empowering the Chronically Ill & Disabled to Lead Fuller Lives

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  • advocacy,  autoimmune disease,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Dropping Mask Mandates: A Time of Anxiety or Joy?

    March 15, 2022

    Last week I went back to school in-person for the first time in 2 years. There was a part of me that was excited, yes, but the other part of me was nervous as all heck. Meeting professors and students I had gotten to know virtually over the semesters felt like there was a human connection again outside of Zoom! And I have to admit that I really enjoyed going to class and being around like-minded people before this pandemic started. It was definitely a loss to go virtual but at the same time, going virtual meant people with disabilities like us could take care of our health while being…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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

    September 24, 2018

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

    February 25, 2019

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

    August 7, 2020
  • autoimmune disease,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    What the IBD Community Needs to Know About Getting a COVID-19 Booster

    December 11, 2021

    Patient advocate Tina Aswani Omprakash spoke with gastro experts to get the booster answers for people with inflammatory bowel disease. Originally published in Everyday Health on December 1st, 2021 By Tina Aswani Omprakash For Health Answers Medically Reviewed by Kareem Sassi, MD Reviewed: December 1, 2021 Now that many of us with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are several months out from receiving two doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for all adults 18 and up who received a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Bachatera with a Bag: Theodora Shattering Ostomy Stigma Through Dance

    April 27, 2021

    How to Own Your Crohn’s & Ostomy While Traveling to India

    February 18, 2025

    Dropping Mask Mandates: A Time of Anxiety or Joy?

    March 15, 2022
  • Caregiving,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  Mental Health

    Gaurav’s Covid-19 Journey as a Crohn’s Patient in India

    June 11, 2021

    Greetings! I’m Gaurav Sengupta, a 32-year-old IBD patient advocate from India. I currently live in Kolkata and run a plastic manufacturing business of my own. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease back in 2015 when I was working as a Corporate Banker in the UAE. I nearly ended up in surgery back then and once again in 2019 due to stricture formation and bowel obstructions. I have been fortunate that my GI has helped to successfully control my disease during both of those flares with the help of oral steroids and immunosuppressants.  I recently fell prey to the global pandemic of Covid-19 during its second wave in India. Here, I…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    ~OYC Trailblazers~ Tanya’s Pregnancy Journey Living with Crohn’s Disease in India

    November 5, 2022

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

    September 23, 2020

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

    May 23, 2020
  • autoimmune disease,  Black Lives Matter,  Caregiving,  Coronavirus,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Women's Health

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

    April 1, 2021

    “I think I might be at the start of a partial obstruction.  What do I do?” The words I shared with my husband in late March 2020 weren’t rhetorical.  It was more like I dropped a mini bomb into an already stressful situation. Even though I’ve had a series of partial bowel obstructions over the years, this time felt different. We were at the beginning of the pandemic.  At a time when merely stepping  outside seemed dangerous, a trip to the ER felt terrifying. In that moment, I was asking for much more than just advice.  I wanted – no, needed  – reassurance that regardless of what was happening with…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Accepting My Crohn’s Disease to Finally Become Me

    January 15, 2024

    Navigating Mental Health in Crohn’s Disease 

    December 5, 2024

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

    May 3, 2021
  • autoimmune disease,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine as a Patient with Several Autoimmune Conditions

    March 22, 2021

    I recently received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine! Many folks have been asking about my stance on it and what my experiences with it have been. First of all, I want to be clear – in line with the guidance shared by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, I am without any doubt a supporter of vaccination against COVID especially as a student of public health who has learned about the immense significance of vaccines in curbing pandemics. I believe this pandemic has taken far too many lives (~500K just in the U.S.) and I think that the potential for overarching complications of contracting…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    How to Own Your Crohn’s & Ostomy While Traveling to India

    February 18, 2025

    A Gutsy Feeling: Advocating for the Best Care Possible as IBD Patients

    September 18, 2021

    What I’ve Learned About Starting an Advanced Therapy for Crohn’s Disease

    March 2, 2024
  • advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  Minority Health,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    South Asian IBD & COVID-19

    January 26, 2021

    Ten days ago, India released its two vaccines, CoviShield & Covaxin, to begin distribution to frontline workers and eventually the general population. As such, Dr. Sumit Bhatia, leading IBD specialist at Medanta – The Medicity Hospital in Gurgaon, India, and Dr. Neilanjan Nandi, esteemed IBD specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, joined me on the FITWITMD Facebook page for a live discussion to explain the two vaccines in India along with the two mRNA vaccines in much of the Western world. The purpose of this discussion was to understand how COVID is affecting the IBD population and to address vaccine hesitancy in the global South Asian IBD…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    6 Myths About IBD in Minority Patients, Busted

    December 20, 2018

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

    November 24, 2019

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

    September 24, 2018
  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  Pregnancy in IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Vaccinations

    Demystifying the COVID Vaccine for IBD Patients

    January 10, 2021

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash Originally published in Everyday Health on January 8th, 2021 We open the new year with hope after a dreary year filled with ups and downs from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a woman with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), I have been practicing every precaution recommended by my doctor, from masking up to practicing social distancing and avoiding crowded, indoor spaces. While I’m used to being home a lot as a result of surgeries related to my disease and regular flare-ups, the pandemic was doubly hard for me because I have been in remission, and in good health to go out and about.…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine as a Patient with Several Autoimmune Conditions

    March 22, 2021

    Coping with IBD & Stress & Anxiety Around COVID-19

    April 1, 2020

    How to Vacation (or Staycation) Safely During the Pandemic

    August 14, 2020
  • Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    COVID-19 & IBD: GI Perspectives on Fall 2020 & Beyond

    September 16, 2020

    Given all the chatter about COVID-19 this upcoming fall season, I thought it best to inform ourselves as patients as to what to expect. Because rates of COVID infection are so variable across the U.S., I spoke to several leading gastroenterologists around the country to get their take on what they’re recommending to their IBD patients about vaccinations, medications, surgery in addition to attending social gatherings and returning to school and/or work. The 5 IBD specialists I spoke to are located in various parts of the country and include Dr. Jordan Axelrad (Adult GI at NYU Langone Medical Center), Dr. Sabina Ali (Pediatric GI at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital), Dr.…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    South Asian IBD & COVID-19

    January 26, 2021

    Demystifying the COVID Vaccine for IBD Patients

    January 10, 2021

    AIBD 2020: Hot Topics for IBD Patients

    December 22, 2020
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    COVID-19 Survivors: Stories of Hope in the IBD World

    May 7, 2020

    The last 8 weeks since the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus a pandemic have been nothing short of an emotional roller coaster ride for many of us. From uncertainty around chronic illness and medications making us a higher risk to jarring numbers of lethal infection rates, we are all grappling with much despair. Given all the sadness in the media right now, I thought it relevant to share stories of hope, ones where IBD patients, their caregivers and their doctors have not just survived but are making a full recovery. Check out the stories below of 4 IBD patients, a caregiver and a gastroenterologist, all survivors of COVID-19 and heroes…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    As a Chronically-Ill Brown Woman, Here’s Why I Share My Survival Story

    May 16, 2019

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

    February 25, 2020

    Ostomy Awareness Day: Empowering Ostomates to Live Fuller Lives

    November 22, 2019
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Immunocompromised in the Age of Coronavirus

    May 1, 2020

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash A Crohn’s patient shares her very real fears, anxieties, and sadness around being immunocompromised while grappling with the coronavirus pandemic in New York City. *Originally published on April 27th, 2020 by Everyday Health: https://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/my-health-story/immunocompromised-in-the-age-of-coronavirus/ It was one of those winters full of never-ending health complications. Before Thanksgiving I ruptured a ligament in my ankle, which compounded my difficulties in managing life with Crohn’s disease. And if that wasn’t hard enough, many of my other conditions — gastroparesis, arthritis, pelvic pain — flared up due to immobility from the ankle injury. More recently, I had a couple of ER visits because of a herniated disc in my neck. In…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    “I Had an Ostomy—and It Changed My Life”

    December 11, 2019

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

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    An Interview with News 12 NJ: How Does Coronavirus Affect YOU?

    April 6, 2020
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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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