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Own Your Crohn's

Empowering the Chronically Ill & Disabled to Lead Fuller Lives

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

    June 20, 2020

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

    February 25, 2020

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

    May 7, 2020
  • 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

    Honoring My Late Father

    June 17, 2018

    Throwback to La Caverna 2006!

    August 30, 2018
  • 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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    The Other Side of Crohn’s: Caregiving

    December 9, 2019

    Love Knows No Disability

    July 2, 2019

    The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide

    October 17, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  Colorectal Surgery,  coping with flares,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  fistula,  Fistulizing Disease,  immunocompromised,  living with IBD,  Minority Health,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    ~OYC TRAILBLAZERS~ Spotlight on Malaysian Crohnie & Ostomate Saravanan

    April 22, 2020

    It all started in early 2008 when I was still in high school and started to experience bowel disease symptoms. However, as many of us know, there can be a large gap between the time we experience symptoms and the time we are officially diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in July 2012. The four and half years in between onset of symptoms and diagnosis were the most arduous part of my journey. My battle began upon developing a fistula. For those who may not be familiar, a fistula is an abnormal tract created between the intestinal wall and another organ or out on to the skin due…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Pelvic Pain Story

    October 26, 2018

    Real Talk about Ostomies

    October 5, 2018

    What Will People Think? ~A Short Documentary by Chealynn Feaster

    December 27, 2019
  • advocacy,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  immunocompromised,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Tips for Telehealth and Managing Your IBD Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

    April 18, 2020

    One of the things I do a lot as a patient with many chronic illnesses is visit all sorts of healthcare providers for the maintenance of my care. However, during this time, when many non-essential visits to the doctor’s office or to medical facilities are not recommended, what do we do? In the last 6 weeks, many providers have ramped up a service we are now calling telehealth. That is, many doctors are offering virtual visits to us from the convenience of our home. While it isn’t the ideal way to examine a patient, it certainly gets the job sufficiently done for many of us who are struggling to manage…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    The Value of Support Groups

    August 26, 2018

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

    August 7, 2020

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

    February 18, 2025
  • Ableism,  advocacy,  awareness,  Colorectal Surgery,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  Disability Justice,  immunocompromised,  invisible illness,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020

    Last week, Inspire released a short video we made virtually on why living with Crohn’s Disease and being immunocompromised during COVID-19 is downright terrifying for patients like myself who are chronically and invisibly ill. Please take a moment to watch this video and share to help raise awareness. And don’t forget – every life is valuable! So please #KeepUsAll safe by practicing social distancing and staying home as much as possible! Be well & best wishes always!

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide

    October 17, 2019

    Indian Ostomate Podcast Show: Episode 1 with Tina Aswani Omprakash

    July 23, 2020

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

    June 17, 2020
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Coronavirus,  COVID-19,  Crohn's,  J-Pouch,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Coping with IBD & Stress & Anxiety Around COVID-19

    April 1, 2020

    Last night I had the honor of doing a Facebook Live with Dr. Tiffany Taft (Psychogastroenterology, Northwestern University) and Amber Tresca (About IBD, IBD Moms) in conjunction with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. We discussed all the emotions around COVID-19 from fear and anxiety to grief and loss and how we can cope best with stay-at-home and social distancing order in light of the challenges being presented to us in recent times. Hope you all found this discussion informative in learning some coping skills around the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and living with IBD. For additional resources and updates on COVID-19 and IBD, please visit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Coronavirus…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    My Pelvic Pain Story

    October 26, 2018

    The Beauty of Ostomates Worldwide

    October 17, 2019

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

    October 16, 2018
  • advocacy,  awareness,  colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020

    I was 8 years old when I walked into my father’s room in the hospital as he laid there coma-stricken in his final days. I told him I had gotten an A on my Science test, hoping in all my innocence that an A would make him so proud that he would wake up from his coma. He passed a few days later and I was heartbroken. My father, Dr. Moti Aswani, had long-standing Crohn’s Disease which turned into stage IV colorectal cancer 13 years into his diagnosis at the age of 37 (see An Ode to My Father & Fellow IBD Warrior). You see, Daddy had been told to…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Bachatera with a Bag: Theodora Shattering Ostomy Stigma Through Dance

    April 27, 2021

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

    May 7, 2020

    A Direct-to-Patient Model: How Online Pharmacy Marley Drug is Revolutionizing Drug Pricing

    September 8, 2022
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  Dating & Relationships,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  Self-image,  stigma

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

    February 25, 2020

    A couple weeks ago, Amber Wallace Ogle of Ostomy Diaries and I did a Facebook Live in conjunction with Hollister Incorporated regarding dating, relationships and intimacy with an ostomy. Yes, folks, it is possible and that’s what Amber and I aimed to share–our stories of happiness and heartbreak and how we found lasting love and continue to thrive in our relationships while we live with permanent ostomies. Feel free to check out the video below. Enjoy! So, own your Crohn’s, own your ostomy, and take charge of your relationships and remember that our ostomies are not a flaw. They make us whole again and help us survive what we may…

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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: What Healing Means to Natasha

    March 26, 2019

    When Diagnoses Accumulate: My Gastroparesis Story

    August 29, 2019
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  Body Positivity,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Mental Health,  Ostomy,  Self-image,  stigma

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

    December 11, 2019

    For these people living with Crohn’s disease, ostomy surgery made everything from the ordinary to the extraordinary possible. By Jennifer Rainey Marquez Excerpt taken from HealthCentral. Article originally published in HealthCentral on November 27th, 2019: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/ostomy-crohns-patient-stories “I feel more ‘myself’ than I have in years.” ~Tina Aswani Omprakash, 36, New York City “As an Indian American, getting an ostomy was so culturally taboo that I waited until I was near death’s door to finally have the surgery. I was told nobody would marry me, and I was very afraid that I’d be discriminated against. To my surprise, my ostomy didn’t just save my life—it made me feel alive again! Not only…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Edgar Flores opens up about surviving near-death and the challenges of living with an ostomy in Mexico

    November 4, 2018

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    Accepting My Crohn’s Disease to Finally Become Me

    January 15, 2024
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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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