Today marks 5 years since my stoma surgery — my Stomaversary, and I can hardly believe how much has happened since that day. What once felt like the hardest moment of my life has become one of the most transformative. I’ve shared my journey for years, here on Stoma Warrior — The Good, The Bag and the JPouch — and also on YouTube through my videos 📹. In a way I never expected, my story has helped others feel understood, less alone, and maybe even a bit braver facing their own journey.

https://youtube.com/shorts/E4tihUVbwK8?si=qYIKMtF0S1IfPJga

I’m Andrea — a 52-year-old NHS worker, wife, mum, and Stoma Warrior. I live in Sussex in the UK, and for the past two decades I’ve battled IBD, Crohn’s, Indeterminate Colitis, surgeries, setbacks and resilience. I’ve endured JPouch creation and excision, a total proctectomy (Barbie Butt), and for the last five years I’ve lived with a permanent ileostomy stoma — my life-saving new normal.

When I look back at that moment, waking up from surgery — I remember fear. I remember doubt. I remember the deep uncertainty of what life would look like. But here I am, five years on, feeling grateful, stronger, and more myself than I ever expected to be.

What This Milestone Really Means

This isn’t just about a date on a calendar — it’s about the gift of life, resilience, and perspective that this stoma has given me. It’s about:

✨ Being here.

✨ Being present and active in life again.

✨ Being able to celebrate today without fear.

I know this journey isn’t just physical — it’s emotional, it’s mental, it’s deeply personal. I know many others reading this have had their own highs and lows with stoma life — and that’s okay. Some celebrate with humour, some with quiet pride, some share cake or videos, some just take a moment to think, “I made it another year.”

For me, today is all of that — and more.

Thank You — To Everyone Who’s Walked With Me

To my husband Stuart, my sons, my family — thank you for the love and support that carried me through the fear and the joy.

To my friends, my work colleagues, and the people who reach out, comment, message — thank you for letting me share my story.

To the wonderful community of ostomates, IBD warriors, carers, and supporters — thank you for being a constant reminder that none of us are truly alone.

Every message, every like, every time someone says “your story helped me” — it matters. It makes this milestone feel bigger than just me. It feels like us.

So What Now?

I don’t have it all figured out — who does?

But I have learned:

❤️ To be kind to myself

❤️ To take life day by day

❤️ To live, fully and boldly

❤️ To embrace the person I am today — scars, stoma and all

If my years with a stoma have taught me anything, it’s this: you don’t have to love every bit of your journey to be proud of how far you’ve come. You just have to keep showing up — each day, each year, each milestone.

Thank you for being here with me on this wild, sometimes messy, but always meaningful ride. Here’s to year five — and to many more. 🥂✨

Love always,

Andrea — Stoma Warrior