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  • 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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    Love Knows No Disability

    July 2, 2019

    My Pelvic Pain Story

    October 26, 2018

    Indian Ostomate Podcast Show: Episode 1 with Tina Aswani Omprakash

    July 23, 2020
  • awareness,  coping with flare,  Crohn's,  Diet,  Disease Prevention,  living with IBD,  Nutrition,  Ostomy,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Can a Low FODMAP Diet Help IBD? 7 Things to Know

    February 20, 2019

    Written by Emily Willingham, PhD Medically reviewed by Matthew Hamilton, MD When patient advocate and author of the blog OwnYourCrohns, Tina Aswani Omprakash, 35, reached an impasse with symptoms related to her inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), she turned in frustration to her nutritionist. On her nutritionist’s suggestion, Omprakash, who lives in New York City, decided to give the low-FODMAP diet a try. What Are FODMAPs Anyway? FODMAPs stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols,” all sugars that are common in foods. If these small sugars go unabsorbed and hang around in the intestines long enough, they can produce diarrhea and abdominal bloating and cramping, depending on where they linger. People who…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

    Weekend Long IBD Retreat Helped Me to Own My Crohn’s

    August 24, 2019

    Inspire’s #KeepUsAllSafe COVID-19 Campaign

    April 12, 2020
  • colorectal cancer,  Colorectal Surgery,  Crohn's,  Fistulizing Disease,  Gratitude,  living with IBD,  Mindfulness,  Ostomy,  Pelvic pain,  stigma,  Traveling with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis,  Valentine's Day

    7 IBD-Inspired Gift Ideas for Valentine’s Day

    February 14, 2019

    By Tina Aswani Omprakash February 13, 2019 One woman living with Crohn’s shares thoughtful Valentine’s gift ideas for the IBD warrior in your life. Valentine’s Day can be an anxiety-inducing holiday for many people. Especially for those of us living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If we’re single, our minds might run wild about when we might meet that special someone. And if we’re in a relationship, we might worry about experiencing symptoms during a romantic moment. But it’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day isn’t just a day for us to fret over romance. It’s a day for us to celebrate all kinds of love: love for significant others, family, and…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Managing Ostomy Care in the Era of Covid-19

    October 21, 2020

    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020

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

    October 16, 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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    Disability Awareness in the Midst of Coronavirus

    March 12, 2020

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

    February 25, 2019

    My Pelvic Pain Story

    October 26, 2018
  • 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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    The Waiting Game

    June 30, 2018

    Love Knows No Disability

    July 2, 2019

    Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

    January 5, 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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    No More Secrets: An enlightening film that reveals the stigma of having an ostomy in India

    September 24, 2018

    Why My IBD Scars Make Me Proud

    May 23, 2019

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

    February 25, 2020
  • 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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    OYC Trailblazers: Celebrating Melissa’s J-Pouch-versary

    February 25, 2019

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

    February 25, 2020

    Owning My Crohn’s Mindfully This New Year

    January 5, 2019
  • 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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    My Feature in Suffering the Silence’s Photo Series Campaign

    October 6, 2019

    I am NOT a Burden: A South Asian Perspective

    July 1, 2020

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

    February 25, 2020
  • acceptance,  advocacy,  awareness,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ostomy,  stigma,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week: Minorities, Mental Health & IBD

    December 9, 2018

    This IBD Awareness Week, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation shared a video of me discussing one aspect of being South Asian: maintaining privacy. Privacy is a major concern when it comes to South Asian Americans sharing their personal IBD journeys. There is a phrase in Hindi & Urdu called “Log Kya Kahenge?” It is a cultural phenomenon that expresses deep concern for how society will view patients and their families once their stories are public. But the reality is that suffering in silence can lead to deep-rooted shame while deterring self-care and self-advocacy, two very important aspects to our medical care. In this video, I talk about my experiences as a…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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

    December 1, 2018

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

    June 22, 2020

    My Ostomy, My Lifesaver

    October 3, 2019
  • awareness,  caregivers,  Crohn's,  living with IBD,  Ulcerative Colitis

    Caregivers: The Greatest Blessing of All

    December 7, 2018

    As we wrap up Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week, I reflect on the greatest blessing of all in my IBD journey: my caregivers, my dear mother and husband. From the constant rides into the city for doctors’ visits to packing wounds and changing PICC line dressings while helping me walk and shower after surgery, Mom, you picked me up when I was at my lowest points in life. From driving me to Cleveland Clinic and flying me to Mayo Clinic for surgery while spending countless sleepless nights in the hospital, Anand, you stood by my side when society told you you could have done better. Many of our IBD journeys…

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    Tina Aswani Omprakash

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    Colon Cancer & Its Devastating Impact on My Family

    March 19, 2020

    MC Capital T Reppin’ from the BK Walk!

    June 25, 2018

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

    December 10, 2018
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  • 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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