Hello and welcome to My Friend Wendy.

My name is Rhian.

As a Crohn's sufferer, I always knew that I might need to have a stoma bag one day but I thought I would live through my 20s, 30s and maybe even my 40s without needing a bag...or perhaps my whole life. It was my biggest fear in the back of my mind, something that I thought wouldn't happen to me unless I was really unlucky.

We all know, especially during this pandemic, that things happen unpredictably in this world and on 18 December 2019, at 29 years old, I had an emergency ileostomy formation after a really difficult few months.

The purpose of My Friend Wendy is to give myself a dedicated space and time to reflect on everything that happened during the lead up to my surgery and to document my recovery journey. It has been a difficult experience to say the least but putting pen to paper and sharing with others has a funny way of washing away negative feelings, as I have learnt from my kind friends reaching out to me on social media posts about my journey.

I hope that by documenting my experiences in this way, I can perhaps help others who are facing a similar life change. I am lucky enough to have other ostomates of a similar age who have helped me. I learned that most of them didn't have anyone when they went through the same. I can't imagine going through what I have without their support, so I want to extend the kindness that was shared with me.

Although I hope that this blog will show me leading a normal life with a stoma, it will be an honest account of the ups and downs of my new 'normal' and naturally there are good and bad days. It will also show my relationship with Wendy which has changed massively over the months. I will also explain why 'she' has a name (there is a method in my madness I promise)!!

I will start my blog at the very beginning, reflecting on my diagnosis of Crohn's disease and what having an invisible disability means to me.

Thank you for being a part of our journey.

Love Me &

My Friend Wendy.