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12th Support Group Meeting

Support Group Meeting #12 was held on May 28, 2019, at 630PM at the University of Miami Hospital U-Health Tower, in room 2026, the Board of Directors' meeting room.

We are happy to report that 28 people attended this support group meeting, 13 of which were patients. Everyone seems to enjoy our speakers and join in the comradery and the discussions.

Our speaker this month was Lynn Wolfson, President of Weston Florida Ostomy Oley Group, who spoke on “Living Life to the Fullest”. She has a wonderful service dog named Zev, which means wolf in Hebrew. Zev came with her to the meeting, much to everyone’s joy, and we got to see a video of how they have bonded and everything that he does for her. Lynn then spoke about her health issues. She was born with Hirschsprung's Disease, a birth defect affecting the large intestine. Nerve cells fail to develop which results in severe constipation or intestinal blockage. Despite about 25 surgeries, and a lifetime of pain and discomfort since she was an infant, she has a very active life and a positive attitude. She continues to suffer the effects of this devastating disease, but she remains extremely enthusiastic and passionate about everything that she does. She has traveled the world extensively with her husband and two daughters, is active in several organizations and is working with the state of Florida to get Lynn’s Law passed, which is the modification of handicapped bathrooms to help accommodate ostomates. She is a true example of how to enjoy life with an ostomy and other health challenges.

Our next support group meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 25th at the UM U-Health Tower, room 2026 at 630PM. The speaker will be Floribeth Arrautt, MSW, LCSW, Psychotherapist, Digestive Health Department at the University of Miami Hospitals and Clinics. She will speak on “Carrying an Anxious Mood and an Ostomy Bag”.