**UPDATE: Since the original writing of this post, the Cincinnati Police Department released an apology to the ostomy community. I am thankful that they were understanding of our position and that we were able to use this situation to spread some awareness. That being said, this article still rings true.**
There has been a bit of an uproar amongst the ostomy community recently. It all started with a news article out of Cincinnati where the police department there announced they are using a new campaign to help deter teens from entering a life of crime and drugs. Sounds good so far, but a major part of this campaign is using “gruesome” pictures of gunshot survivors who are paralyzed or now require a colostomy bag. (You can read the article here.)
Those of us in the ostomy community realize that trying to curb teen violence is important, but we also agree that portraying ostomates as gross, unattractive or pathetic is not the way to go about it. I believe that these sort of ideas come out of ignorance of what having an ostomy really means and how many lives have been saved by having one.
But we’re of the mind to turn a bad situation into an opportunity to raise awareness and to speak up about the issue. So my friend Rebecca Kaplan, of Caring for Crohn’s, and I got together to write an article speaking out against the Cincinnati Police Department’s campaign. And the article has been published on The Huffington Post!
So while I am disappointed by the actions of the CPD, I am thankful for the platform we have been given.
Get involved in our campaign to show that having an Ostomy Is Not A Tragedy! Sign the petition asking the CPD to apologize and stop discriminating against ostomates. And use the hashtag #OstomyIsNotaTragedy to help spread awareness!