ConvaTec Celebrates World Ostomy Day on October 2 with Healthy Bonds Campaign

Medical solutions company encourages Ostomy community to share stories of connection

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Sep 30, 2021, 12:40 ET

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The relationships shared with both our bodies and the people around us can impact how we live our lives. For those living with an ostomy, these emotional and personal connections can be even more meaningful. To mark World Ostomy Day on Saturday, October 2, ConvaTec – a global medical solutions company focused on therapies for the management of chronic conditions – will launch a month-long effort to celebrate the ostomy community through their Healthy Bonds campaign and a Global Patient Summit.

The United Ostomies Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) estimates approximately 100,000 temporary and permanent ostomy surgeries occur each year, with a total of 725,000 to 1 million people living with ostomies in the United States. This year marks the 10^th celebration of World Ostomy Day – recognized globally every three years – which fueled ConvaTec's efforts to bring awareness to the positive stories of ostomates through its participation in the global event.

"Healthy Bonds are a crucial part of the healing process for ostomy patients post-surgery. These bonds represent both the physical and emotional connections ostomates have with their ostomy, their family and friends, and the community around them," said ConvaTec's President and Chief Operating Officer of Ostomy Care, Mani Gopal. "Our Healthy Bonds campaign encourages ostomates to showcase how they're embracing life with an ostomy through an array of inspiring stories that celebrates the resiliency of our community."

During the month of October, ConvaTec is encouraging ostomates to share their stories of healthy body images and medical, professional, and personal relationships on Instagram using the hashtag #myhealthybonds. The campaign will also include advertising and influencer amplification to tell the inspiring stories of the Healthy Bonds that support the ostomy community.

To kick off the World Ostomy Celebration, ConvaTec will also host a virtual Global Patient Summit on Oct. 1, to empower ostomates around the world who might need additional resources as Covid-19 has limited their opportunities to receive home care and peer-to-peer support and mentoring. Sessions will focus on the topics "This is My Life Now" and "Healthy Bonds" to help ostomates recognize they are part of a strong, supportive community and not going through their experiences alone. Tying into World Ostomy Day's theme of Ostomy human rights, the Patient Summit encourages ostomates to know their patient rights and feel empowered to act on them.

Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Joanna Burgess, who has needed an ostomy since she was three years old, will present at the Summit on the challenges of growing up in the 1960s with an ostomy pouch and how those experiences have helped her become an advocate for the ostomy community, ultimately leading her to find a career in patient care.

"I became a nurse because of those early experiences with cancer and the many side effects of treatment that followed throughout the years," said Burgess. "In order to help myself move past these experiences, I wanted to help others who were going through it."

For more information on ConvaTec's Healthy Bonds campaign or to speak with Burgess, please contact Caitlin Burns at [email protected] or 215-479-4124. Interviews with ostomates about their personal stories and healthy bonds can be arranged.

ConvaTec Group Plc
ConvaTec is a FTSE 250 global medical products and technologies company focused on solutions for the management of chronic conditions, with leading market positions in advanced wound care, ostomy care, continence and critical care, and infusion care. We have more than 10,000 colleagues in over 100 countries. Our vision is pioneering trusted medical solutions to improve the lives we touch. Our products provide a range of clinical and economic benefits including infection prevention, protection of at-risk skin, improved patient outcomes and reduced total cost of care. Group revenues in 2020 were over $1.894 billion. To learn more about ConvaTec, please visit www.convatecgroup.com

SOURCE ConvaTec