For a long time, I kept my story tucked close. Not because I was ashamed – but because it felt like too much to explain. Too many hospital stays, too many surgeries, too many complications that most people wouldn’t understand. I’ve lived with Crohn’s disease since I was a kid, and I’ve had an ostomy since I was 15 years old.

On New Year’s Day in 1995, I was told that my ostomy would be permanent. I knew right then that it would never be reversed. That moment marked me. It wasn’t just about adapting to a new way of living – it was about accepting that this was my forever. That clarity – at such a young age – shaped everything that followed.

And while the medical side of my life is a big part of my story, it’s not the whole story. What really surprised me over the years was how my health struggles impacted – and eventually strengthened – my marriage.

Nathan didn’t meet me before my illness. He didn’t know the girl who didn’t have scars or pill bottles. He met me in the middle of it all, and he chose me anyway. He married me knowing what he was walking into – and even then, he had no idea just how hard it would get.

There were moments I couldn’t stand on my own. He has held me, carried me, and sat beside my hospital bed more times than I can count. And he still tells me that if he could take all of it on himself to spare me, he would.

Sharing the story of my health and my marriage isn’t about painting some perfect picture. It’s about telling the truth – the hard, raw, beautiful truth. The nights we cried, the days we laughed anyway, the times we wanted to give up but didn’t. It’s about what it really looks like to walk through pain and still choose each other. Again and again.

But even more than that, I decided to write this book to help anyone who is going through something hard. I know how difficult it can be to adjust to life with an ostomy or to live with IBD. As someone who was young when I was diagnosed – and even younger when I received my ostomy – I understand what it’s like to feel scared, different, or unsure of what your future will look like.

I want you to know this: life goes on. Life is precious. And even with an ostomy, life can be absolutely amazing.

If you’ve ever felt invisible inside your struggle – or wondered if anyone else understands – I’m writing this for you. You’re not alone. I see you. I am you. And I believe that our stories, when we share them, help each other heal.