The first few years after my stage II colorectal cancer diagnosis were pretty rough. I was in and out of the hospital with infections, chained to the toilet by bowel issues and crippled by social anxiety. This is not how I envisioned my life going at age 32. 

I was one of those people who really, REALLY did not want a permanent ostomy. I resisted the idea of getting one for a long time because, in my mind, there was still...