“I’ve always participated in a lot of sports and run two or three times a week, as well as going to the gym. Running gives me a great sense of freedom. Now I’ve found the stoma solution that matches my body shape, there’s nothing stopping me,” she says.

20 years ago, Sandra was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, which worsened considerably after ten years. After spending five years weighing up the pros and cons of an ileostomy, in 2012 she finally had the surgery. At the hospital, she was advised to try different stoma products and solutions until she found the right one for her body shape.

“I tried various solutions. For some reason, the flat products didn’t work for me and I experienced leakage, which was really, really distressing.” Having experienced leakage, Sandra realized the importance of finding a solution that fit her body shape. She is glad she was encouraged to experiment, as this led to her find SenSura^® Convex Light.

“The SenSura^® Convex Light barrier smooths out the skin around my stoma and seems to stick much better. I haven’t ever had any problems with it – no leakage and no skin irritation. It fits so well it feels like part of my body. I can’t tell I’m wearing it – which means I often completely forget about my stoma.”

“I’m as good a driver today as I was before the operation. My stoma doesn’t prevent me from making any movements. I trust the ostomy pouch 100%. I have spare pouches in the truck and a bottle of water in case I need to clean up or replace something, but this has never been necessary. It has never leaked. This means I can meet customers with confidence.”

After his operation, Aldwin was given various products to try. He chose Coloplast and he hasn’t regretted his decision for a moment.

“I chose SenSura® Mio because it had a full-circle filter and because it looked a lot nicer than the beige pouches. The adhesive is really flexible. It follows my body’s movements and the contours of my skin.”

In addition to working full-time, Aldwin is also training hard to cycle Mont Ventoux (a 6300-foot mountain in Southern France) to raise money for cancer research. Whenever he is out on his bike, Aldwin has full confidence that his SenSura® Mio solution won’t let him down.

“Even when I bend or make strange movements, I never feel it will come off. With SenSura® Mio, I don’t have to worry about leakage or something coming unstuck. Sometimes I even forget to bring spare pouches – that’s how secure I feel!”

“I used to worry about leakage, so we stopped camping. But with my current solution, I can make all kinds of movements and it simply stays in place. It’s so flexible I can set up the RV at the start of the trip and take it down at the end without having to worry about anything coming off,” he explains.

Like many people with an ostomy, Arno tried out different products to find a solution that matches his body shape. With a hernia around his stoma and a scar that sits under the barrier, this was initially a challenge.

“I tried a few different brands, but my barrier would come off a few times a week – usually at night. With my Coloplast ostomy solution, the barrier maintains a tight seal to my scar, and nothing leaks into it,” he continues.

For extra security, Arno uses Brava^® accessories. “At work, I bend a lot, so to be on the safe side, I use the Brava^® Elastic Barrier Strips to keep the edges of the barrier in place. Then if I know I’m going to be in a crowd, such as concerts or soccer matches, I’ll use the Brava^® Lubricating Deodorant.”

Arno has rediscovered his social life and no longer worries about leakage. “I live as though the stoma wasn’t there because the products have such a tight fit with my body. Thanks to Coloplast, I’m back in business!” he says with a smile.

“I like being in that moment where it’s you, the guitar, the music – and the crowd is really into it. My ostomy solution gives me the confidence to play on stage and enjoy it,” he says.

Patrick made the decision to undergo ostomy surgery in 1993 after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in high school. It was a tough decision to make and it took time for him to adapt to the stoma.

“After my surgery, it was a constant battle to manage leakage and find something that would work for me,” he explains. With a prolapsed hernia and a slight indentation where the stoma meets the abdominal wall, it was a process of trial and error before Patrick discovered the products that worked best for him.

“When I started to use SenSura® Convex Light together with a Brava® Moldable Ring, my leakage concerns disappeared almost immediately. The Brava Moldable Ring improved something that was already great and made it better. It’s by far the best fit I’ve ever experienced, with just the right amount of convexity to create a tight seal.”

Now that he has an ostomy solution he can trust, Patrick lives life to the fullest. In addition to his work and band commitments, he loves going skiing and running to stay in shape.

“I now have the confidence to live life without worrying whether there is going to be a leak. Aside from bag changing day, I don’t think about it. It’s simply part of me.”