COVID SHOULD NOT HOLD US BACK By Joel Jacobson

Originally published in the October 2020 edition of the Ostomy Halifax Gazette

Fall has arrived!

So has Autumn.

But whatever you call it, for some it is the best season of the year – when the weather cools, but is not icy, when the leaves change color, when summer’s crops have ripened and are being picked, bought, eaten, and, in some cases, pickled – or is that what we get when we try to do that?

And, of course, Fall is when we get back to the busy lives we’ve escaped for various periods during the summer.

Of course, we’ve been doing more escaping through the COVID period, because we’ve been off work, working from home, limiting our travel outside the home, not enjoying dining out or going to entertainment venues, and even unable to do one of the activities which we, living with ostomies, love to do so much – make hospital visits to newbies who need the upbeat enthusiasm we of experience can offer.

HOWEVER

It’s time to start thinking OSTOMY again, to plan to attend chapter meetings (unfortunately virtually).

It’s time to think outside the box because COVID-19 has forced us all to do things differently.

We have learned to be more kind to each other than we ever have been before. We have learned to social distance, a phrase we had never heard eight months ago but which has become embedded in our vocabularies.

We have become accustomed to wearing face masks in public places, not just on Hallowe’en, and we’ve even become creative in hunting for unique face coverings that will generate conversation and make us stand out among the crowds.

Ostomy Halifax leadership has organized ZOOM meetings and has developed educational Webinars to bring our membership together.

What else can we do? How about arranging with the NSWOCs to connect us with a new ostomate who, if not able to be seen in the hospital before their release, would welcome a home visit? Can you imagine the positive reaction when they, and their caregiver, realize there is someone with whom to talk about the future benefits of having the life-saving surgery, and how they will be able to carry on their usual activities with no fear of embarrassment, explosion, or shunning?

If we are still unable to gather as a large chapter group, if there are provincial health limits of only 10 or 20 people at a venue, arrange for smaller segments to meet for coffee and talk that will keep members of large chapters thinking Ostomy until that glorious day when 40 or 50 members can meet as one big happy family.

Of course, the aforementioned ZOOM meetings can work extremely well.

Don’t let Ostomy be forgotten because COVID is still a threat. There are always ways to get around it and keep the flame burning.