I love a celebration—and World Ostomy Day on October 6 is the perfect reason for one! The United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) organizes the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5K events, and the Canada Ostomy Association runs the Stoma Stroll for Canada. The day is acknowledged and celebrated internationally, and the theme this year is Speaking Out Changes Lives. How true!

Every person gets to choose if they want to be public or not. I can speak from personal experience that the decision to be vocal about having an ostomy has brought comfort to many. I was a young mom, now a grandma, small business owner, wife, long-distance bike rider, and world traveler. And I'm still all of those things today—okay, so I've been slacking on the long-distance biking. I have been fortunate to hear from many people that reading the stories in my books helped them to accept their ostomies and even laugh when things don't always go smoothly. We all have them and we show our resilience by carrying on.

The theme of World Ostomy Day is great for spreading awareness because there are still people with ostomies who don't feel they can leave their homes and live their lives. Sometimes, it's challenging and takes awhile to adjust, and then it will be okay. Then it's time to get back to living with gusto again. No guilt or shame will ever help—instead face the fact that you get to live more fully (pun intended)!

Our ostomies don't need to stop us from doing almost anything. To celebrate them is to accept them and ourselves just as we are today. And that's great! So if you are participating in a run or a stroll, or quietly reflecting on October 6, 2018, pause to feel grateful for what you've gone through and share that joy with the people you love. Next year let's do that 5K together!