At this 5k the survivors are all wearing ostomy pouches but nobody stands out. UOAA's Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k smashes stigmas and celebrates 10 years of awareness.

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Do you think you'd know if someone was wearing an ostomy pouch? Think again. One in five hundred people in the U.S. are living with an ostomy - so without knowing it­– you've encountered people who have had this life-saving surgery.

On Ostomy Awareness Day Saturday, October 5, 2024, the odds of meeting someone with this life-saving surgery may increase. Over a thousand people will take to the streets nationwide as United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) celebrates ten years of the Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k.

Many of those running, walking, or rolling will have had this life-saving surgery as a result of cancer, IBD, abdominal trauma and birth conditions. Other participants will be caregivers, supporters, medical professionals and people learning what an ostomy is for the first time. They'll have the chance to wear an ostomy pouch too- just one they fill with oatmeal or applesauce instead of their own bodily waste.

The idea for an Ostomy 5k started in 2014 after wound, ostomy, and continence nurses Lara DuPree of the University of North Carolina and Angela Richardson of Duke decided to take on the stigmas surrounding the patients they were most passionate about. "We knew we wanted to do something for charity and also to let everyone know that there is nothing a person with an ostomy can't do," DuPree recalls.

The next year this became more personal for DuPree who cared for her mother Dani Osewalt after her ostomy surgery for cancer. Her mom is now the event's biggest cheerleader. "I am beyond proud of the dedication Lara has for the Ostomy community that I am a part of. She inspires me, educates me and supports me as an ostomate and as her mother!" Osewalt says.

The Ostomy 5k was a hit from the start and has now spread to eight events nationwide and a Worldwide Virtual Ostomy 5k. "It has been beautiful to see the ostomy awareness and communities that have blossomed around the Run for Resilience," says UOAA President Cheryl Ory.

In addition to the original 5k in Durham, North Carolina the family-friendly events will take place in Birmingham, Alabama; Rogers, Arkansas; Meridian, Idaho; Niles, Ohio; East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; Nashville, Tennessee; and Downers Grove, Illinois on the first weekend of October. The Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k is now the biggest fundraiser in support of UOAA's nonprofit programs and services.

Other ways to celebrate Ostomy Awareness Day include online events and ostomates sharing their #IAmLivingProof #OstomiesAreLifesavers stories on social media. Several of UOAA's 277 Affiliated Support Groups nationwide are also planning educational and social gatherings.

The Run for Resilience Ostomy 5k is supported by Exclusive Diamond Sponsor Coloplast with additional support from Hollister, Revel, Convatec, Byram Healthcare, Safe n Simple and KEM Enterprises.

Media Contact

Ed Pfueller, United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA), 1 8008260826, ed.pfueller@ostomy.org, https://www.ostomy.org/

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SOURCE United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA)