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Well this winter weather is out of control one day warm then cold then rain it's tough to figure out how to dress half the time no wonder people keep getting sick.
At our last zoom meeting we had representatives from StomaGenie and McKinn Health
It was a great presentation on the StomaGenie product and the demonstration was fantastic I
can't wait to get my samples and try it out myself.
We will only have one meeting this month:
Open Forum/Peer Support Meeting December 12 at 7:30pm
The Ostomy Toronto Board has agreed to donate 10k to 2 food banks again this year: The Fort York Food Bank and Churches On The Hill Food Bank. We feel that this is a great way to indirectly support the ostomy community. The board has decided to also donate 35k to Mount Sinai Hospital; this time it's going to FAP (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis) research. FAP effects about 1 percent of the population and therefore doesn't get the same funds as other conditions. I know we have many Ostomy Toronto Members with FAP so hopefully they can make advances in this area.
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and be safe and healthy as we finish off 2023.
I would like to thank the Board of Directors and our Social Media Manager for everything they do. Without this small team we would be unable to do the things Ostomy Toronto does. I also want to thank the Bingo Volunteers for all the time they give so we can use the money in areas of support either directly or indirectly to our members.
It's been my pleasure to be the president of Ostomy Toronto and look forward to another year.
Thanks for your support.
Jim Fitzgerald
President
Ostomy Toronto
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The Holiday Season can be a struggle for many, no matter your situation. For those who battle with mental health or addiction, this time of year can be particularly difficult.
Please, if you find yourself having a tough time, reach out to someone. Talk to your Doctor or medical professional, or contact one of the distress lines available below:
REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
Distress lines
Toronto Distress Centres: 416-408-4357 (408-HELP)
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 416-863-0511
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (Toll free, English & French)
Community Crisis Line Scarborough and Rouge Hospital: 416-495-2891
Durham Crisis and Mental Health Line: 905-666-0483
CAMH
CAMH Community Resource Sheets
CAMH Virtual Urgent Care
ConnexOntario
ConnexOntario is a directory of community mental health and addictions services in Ontario. You can connect with someone for information and referral to services in your community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by:
On the ConnexOntario website you can find locations and hours for some of these services and information on:
- Rapid Access Addiction Medicine clinics
- no appointment or referral is needed to get help, including prescriptions for opioid agonist therapies (such as suboxone or methadone) and counselling referrals if you don’t have a primary care provider
Mobile Crisis Response Teams (24 hrs/7 days) Toronto
Toronto:
- Gerstein Centre Crisis Line: 416 929-5200 service borders: south to the lake, north to Eglinton, and then north to Highway 401 (between Bathurst and Bayview), east to Bayview to Danforth and then to Victoria Park, west to Islington Ave.
- St. Mike’s Hospital Mobile Crisis Team via Police Department (911) accessible through police (no direct number). Response team consists of a police officer and a mental health nurse.
- St. Joseph’s Hospital Mobile Crisis Team via Police Department (911) accessible through police (no direct number).
(info via CAMH.ca, for additional Distress Lines click HERE)
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Ryan Lengua
Manager, Toronto West Campground
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Dec 12: Open Forum/Peer Support Meeting |
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Join Ostomy Toronto for our Open Forum Meeting on Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30pm. Engage with other ostomates, caregivers, and friends and family of Ostomates. All are welcome!
You're invited to join an online meeting:
Title: Ostomy Toronto's Open Forum Meeting
Time: Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 7:30 PM
Click here for meeting info & links
Be sure to click on the specific meeting date for the individual meeting link.
Hope to see you there!
Please note: Any and all political topics, or topics not related to living with Ostomy are not permitted at Ostomy Toronto's Open Forum Meetings. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
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REMINDER: Ostomy Toronto uses Zoom for our monthly meetings. |
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Recapping Ostomy Toronto's 2023 Features |
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Below is a short recap of some of the stories that were shared with Ostomy Toronto: local and around the world!
If you would like to share something about yourself, and your life with an ostomy, tag @ostomytoronto in your social media posts, or email a short blurb with a photo of yourself to info@ostomytoronto.com. |
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“5 days before my Colon Removal and permanent ileostomy surgery I had a Colon Blowout party including a colon cake 😂 I had never been so happy to get rid an organ. It was all worth it and the best decision I could have made for myself. Don’t let the stigma of bag stop you from saving your own life."
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"I cannot forgot the simple things like the fact that I AM ALIVE.
Not only am I alive I am thriving! There is the distant memory of crying myself to sleep wanting the pain to go away and I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then something magic happened and I met my blue family! I met patients, caregivers, advocates, non-profits, researchers, and so many others dedicated to spreading awareness and helping those that felt list, like myself!
Once I found my community my life changed forever! I found my home, my best friends, my support system! |
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I finally did not feel alone and once I was better I was determined to do that for others! Help in any way I could!
I get emails, texts, and messages daily and I always take time to answer when a stranger about to embark on their cancer journey needs me because I needed someone a few years ago and a perfect stranger helped me!"
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“Bags out or not? Every ostomate is empowered to make that choice. You can change your mind day to day or week to week. You can choice per occasion or outfit. Empower yourself to do what makes you happy and you feel comfortable doing - Stoma Power"
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“I have been ostomate for almost 16 years now. I had my ileostomy surgery on my 30th bday and it was the best gift ever. Like so many of us I was so sick and couldn’t get out of the hospital without having what became emergency surgery. The very next day I woke up from the procure I knew the disease was gone and that this all happened for a reason. When they asked prior to surgery which ostomy I wanted, without hesitation I said the permanent one. I didn’t even know what they were talking |
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about but I knew I never wanted to feel that level of pain again. Although most the videos I watched or pamphlets I read none of them seem to look like me or be as active as me. Thank god now for social media and all that you guys do to help educate and show people how you can actually live a beautiful life with an ostomy."
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“I have had ileostomy from 2005. I had 4 surgeries, 2 of them because of hernia and blockage. Still have the hernia. I was hospitalized [recently] for 6 days for blockage .... hernia is still there and causing blockages.... Lots of ups and downs!!!! But I am a strong person and I will win”
-Rose, April 2023 |
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Sign up for Monthly Meeting Invitations! |
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These emails will
only be sent the mornings of each Monthly Meeting, and Monthly Open Forum/Peer Support Meeting. The emails will only contain the information required to sign in and attend the Ostomy Toronto Meetings.
Please note: If you currently subscribe to our monthly newsletter, you will not be automatically subscribed to these email invitations, you will have to enter your name and email address HERE.
*If you have previously signed up for these invitation emails, you do not need to sign up again.
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Jim Fitzgerald, President
Amy Taylor-Mitropoulos, Treasurer
Susan Uno, Bookkeeper
Urooba Ahad, Director
Glen D'Silva, Director
Michele Smith, Director
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Antonio Pergola, Bingo Volunteer
Linda Hurren, Bingo Volunteer
Jennifer Burnett, Bingo Volunteer
Melissa Aman, Bingo Volunteer
Cindy Zuccaro, Bingo Volunteer
Amanda Caristo, Social Media/Web Manager
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DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this Newsletter is presented for informational purposes only. None of the information is a substitute for professional medical care, attention by a qualified practitioner, or product information that can be gained from an ostomy product distributor, manufacturer or management professional, and under no circumstances may it be relied upon as such. Always check with your doctor or Enterostomal Nurse if you have any questions or concerns about your condition or if you are about to start a new program of treatment or management. Ostomy Toronto and the editors of this Newsletter are not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by this Newsletter.
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