As I've written before, when I was dealing with the need for surgery in 2019, a local baseball player came out on IBS, UC and how it affected him. Jake Diekman, a pitcher for the Oakland A's, spoke out on ostomy awareness and the fact that he wore an ostomy bag. He also advised that he and his wife had formed the "Gut it Out" foundation to educate and support the ostomy community, focusing on children and teens. At that point I thought "a guy can still throw 98 mph fastballs while wearing a bag?" The decision was made for me.
Post surgery, in the summer of 2021, I joined the foundation and bought a t-shirt. I went to an A's game wearing the shirt and sat next to the bullpen. I met Jake and thanked him for providing me the inspiration to have the surgery. I thanked him for helping me make the best, and hardest, decision of my life.
Outside of immediate family, there are less than 5-6 people who know about my surgery. I met up with an old friend this spring who advised that his teenage friend had contracted UC. He explained how it was affecting him and the family. At this point I advised him of my condition. I ended up meeting the son and we talked about all the problems we had and how I've dealt with them.
Fast forward to yesterday. Jake and his team (Tampa Bay Rays) were in town. I put on my t-shirt and sat behind the Ray's dugout. I called to him and we started to talk. He remembered our conversation before and we asked each other how things were going. I told him about my friend's son. He told me that he had been to all but 4 MLB cities with his message. Apparently he reaches out to pediatric hospitals in these cities and invites all patients and their families to an upcoming game. There, he brings them onto the field and talks with the kids and their families about the challenges to come and how to overcome them. He uses his own experiences as a youth with the disease and the importance of talking with those close to you about what's bothering them. He then autographed a ball and wrote a personalized message on it for my friend's son.
I bring this up for the parents of kids in the Ostomy Community and/or our younger Ostomates who may need an additional source of support. Also, to acknowledge Jake Diekman as a class act. If the Rays are coming to a town near you, get tix near the bullpen and say hi to him.
Check out https://www.gutitoutfoundation.org/ for more details.
Best of health to you all,
SharkFan
