Crohn's Awareness Project

12/16/2024

Check out what Coloplast sent me today! Makes a guy feel loved and honored!

The amazing artist
https://www.instagram.com/nicollelalonde?igsh=MWlhcGV3eGFiczhiNw==

12/09/2024

Being a stay at home dad has its challenges sometimes. My daughter almost takes it as a personal challenge to get to the toilet as quickly as possible when I'm draining my bag; at one point she slammed the lid shut on me before I was able to finish emptying my bag 🤣

10/05/2024

Happy World Ostomy Day 2024!

I've felt rather terrible about my advocacy over the last year. Been so busy being a dad that I barely have time to get around to doing much else. But honestly, it's all because of Shawn the Stoma. Without my Ostomy surgery, I wouldn't even be a dad let alone a dad that can run around and play with my daughter. I'm thankful every day for it giving me my new life with my wife & daughter.

09/04/2024

World Ostomy Day is coming up on October 5th! This year we are excited to offer FREE World Ostomy Day magnets designed by Canadian artist Nicolle Lalonde (@ nicollelalonde on Instagram). Let's raise awareness together!

Order your FREE magnet in English or French: https://bit.ly/4cEymRy

Disclaimer: Magnets are only available to Canadian residents.

08/02/2024

Happy Stomaversary to Shawn my Stoma!! I'll be doing a new set of ostomy photos as promised but it'll have to wait a week or so as we're in the process of settling into our new house which leaves me with no studio space at the moment

06/13/2024

‘Who’s P**p was It?!’
June 13th, 2024
**p
© Outhouse Cartoons/C.A.P 2024

When my daughter was only a month old, I remember laying in bed with her fast asleep on my chest, something I already miss with her nearing her first birthday. I was falling in and out of consciousness attempting to watch an episode of Stargate Atlantis, exhausted from the consistent sleep deprived nights when I noticed some p**p on my shirt which just so happened to be located near my Ostomy. Of course, if your newborn is fast asleep on you, you won’t disturb them so I let it be until she woke up. I called in my wife and pointed with a confused face, ‘Is that my p**p or hers?’ as I laughed about the absurd situation. It turned out to be her p**p, thankfully as I was too worn out for an emergency bag change.

Have you gone through a similar situation as an Ostomy parent? Drop a message in the comments below.

05/19/2024

has been busting and misconceptions, and answering FAQs for many years tinyurl.com/IBDSH-FAQ 💜

For more myth and FAQ images, head to the Awareness resources page tinyurl.com/IBDSHAwareness

05/19/2024

For this year's , I wanted to share my journey over the last 4yrs from being stuck in bed, unable to do much of anything to being an active dad, running around with my little girl. All thanks to my stoma, Shawn. There have been some minor complications but I wouldn't change a thing. My ileostomy gave me my life back 💜

05/02/2024

Ostomy bags get a bad rap in the general public. My friends and I want to change that! This video is documenting one more step in the right direction :) Tha...

04/29/2024

Crohn's and Colitis Canada featured my journey from getting an to becoming a dad 😊

Meet Brad Watson-Davelaar of Edmonton and his best buddy Shawn the Stoma – his pet name for his stoma, the hole on the right side of his abdomen where his intestines exit. He is also a dad, husband, and advocate for ostomy awareness – the surgery that created his stoma.

Brad says: “There was a time in my life when I thought being a father and starting a family just wasn’t in the cards for me.” Fortunately, his ostomy surgery made that life aspiration possible.

At the end of the day, he wants his life to be the most impactful awareness project – becoming a dad in 2023, raising a daughter, and showing the world that it is possible to have an ostomy and lead a fulfilled life.

“Becoming an ostomy dad is one of the toughest but most gratifying things I’ve ever been through. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without Shawn the Stoma giving me my life back.”

You can read Brad's (and Shawn's) full story on our website - https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/News-Events/News-Releases/A-Crohn-s-journey-with-Shawn-the-Stoma