Addressing a Tragic Reality Facing Us All

[To Dream a Dream]

A link for those interested in this grim heart breaking story. https://fox8.com/2019/01/22/mother-says ... stomy-bag/

Has anyone an answer beyond trite platitudes? I don't despite my many years of painful experience. And it hurts.

[Bob Webtech]

Yes, it hurts. But see the blog post about this incident on our main website at https://www.ostomy.org/education-amid-tragedy/

And, by the way, are you getting UOAA's emailed newsletters (this was the first item mentioned in the latest mailing)? If you aren't getting them, sign up at https://www.ostomy.org/e-news-sign/

[To Dream a Dream]

Thank you, Bob & Susan Burns, our President, for her quick & very empathetic response to the tragedy. I felt better after reading the main website link & know it will not only console, but also empower many.

[Button]

I saw this story earlier in the week on an Apple-news feed.

It affected me immediately, hijacking me to a place in my own childhood and relationship with my brother.

No doubt about it . . . Children can be cruel and mean-spirited in attacking peers that are seen as somehow “different.”

My brother was born with mild cerebral palsy and epilepsy due to trauma at birth. His epilepsy proved to be recalcitrant and not amenable to anti-convulsants, ketogenic diet, or deep brain stimulation. My family searched medical centers throughtout California for anything that would ease his seizure activity. My brother would typically experience 2-4 grand mal seizures a day.

My brother was tormented by classmates in elementary school. A seizure would find him writhing on the ground, where people would circle around him and stare . . . Horrified. No one seemed to know how to offer my brother any aide. No one seemed capable of simple compassion. With each seizure, my brother became seen more as a “freak” and an aboration.

My brother’s pain was my pain. It was anguishing. Teachers would routinely call me to my brother’s classroom during a seizure. I was beckoned to provide aide and to make sense of what was happening to teachers, students, administrators. I look back on the situation and think it a travesty. But this was circa mid to late-1970s and before formalized special education.

My brother’s life has deeply affected my own life.

I think we have progressed as a society in becoming more open and accommodating to people with differences . . . and then I read a story such as this young boy’s bullying stemming from his ostomy and anal leakage, and I realize the real work continues. We can all work to provide a safe harbor for people with differences in our day to day interactions.

Remember: No act of kindness is ever wasted.
Karen

[Mysticobra]

That is a super sad story. A seven year old even thinking of it. Omgoodness.
I have a granddaughter and grandson both 7. (different sons). I can't imagine.