As an actor who has gotten a colostomy procedure life has been easy for the most part. I have always had a passion for acting when I was growing up. I enjoyed pretending to be someone else, it was fun to me. After my procedure, I needed something fun like that to keep me distracted. When I found out I could act for a career I knew nothing would stop me from doing that, it became my dream, my obsession. 

When I was in high school as a freshman I developed a lot of bad indigestion. I went to see the doctor about it and after a diet change, he said it should get better. After about a month and no results in a differing outcome, I went back to see my doctor. When I told him there was no change in indigestion I would have after eating he wanted to get a scan to see if he could see anything going on inside. He determined a CAT scan would be the best. After the scan, he told me that a large section of my large intestine has died off riding it useless. This is what was causing my horrid indigestion issues. My doctor determined that a colostomy procedure would be the best route to take from here to ensure this does not continue and I do not have any more problems. 

After my procedure, he told me that I could continue to do as I wished however no contact sports. I reassured him that that would not be a problem as I loved acting. He told me that I could continue to do that and he would be looking for me in the movies. I chuckled as I was only a freshman in acting classes. When I got back to school I made a promise to myself that I would do every play we did to hone my acting skills because of my current situation I did not believe I could make it unless I had enough talent. In my acting classes, I made sure to take in as much information as possible. When the first play came I was ecstatic. I went in for my audition and gave it my all. They told me it was the best they had seen in their whole time doing this. As my high school years went on I got every part in every play

I got spotted by someone in the high school on my last play and he offered me an acting job in an upcoming movie he was directing. I was thrilled. I did the best I could and the movie ended up mankind double the amount we put in on it. That movie got me noticed by some big-time directors who asked me to be in their movies, I even got the chance to work alongside some of the cast from the Marvel movies. I had always looked up to Robert Downey Jr and when I had the chance to work with him I almost fainted. 

If I had not gotten my breakthrough after high school then I’m not sure if I would be in the big movies that I am today. My ostomy bag never really came up in conversations nor was it ever a problem if it had come up. I enjoyed the high school acting and at times I look back on it. I am glad to have gotten my ostomy procedure because it drove me to be a better actor. I have never had any problems with my ostomy bag and it has never caused me to not get a job. I’m thrilled to have gotten my breakthrough. 

When I was growing up, I loved to run; I’m not sure why. Everyone I talked to said they did not like running. My friends and parents would encourage me to keep doing what I enjoyed doing regardless of what others may say or think. I had a pretty bad accident when I was growing up, and I thought it would be the end of my ability to run. When I did learn that I could run as a sport in school, I was ecstatic and knew that was what I wanted to do. 

Growing up, I spent a great deal of time running. It was quite a relaxing activity, as surprising as it may sound. I loved to run. My parents supported me and encouraged me to keep doing it as kids my age like to spend time inside. The exercise was good to have. Before I could get into high school, I got in a bad accident. My father and I were out for a run on a mountainside. We have run this trail many times before. Today was a little different from what I was used to, however. It had rained the night before, and the ground was caked with mud. I took a wrong step and slipped to the ground. I fell forward; before I could catch myself, I realized I was falling down the side of the mountain. It was not a steep incline but enough to get some speed going. I came to an abrupt stop wrapped around a tree. I passed out to hearing my dad yelling done at me.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital with a concussion and a sprained ankle, along with some internal damage. The doctor told me that I had a large intestine rupture and needed a colostomy procedure to help aid this. If I did not get the procedure, I would have bowel movement problems. After talking with my parents, we decided that it would be best to do what the doctor told me to do. Following my procedure, I asked the doctor if I could still run, and with a smile, he told me yes. I was so relieved about that because the high school I was going to had a cross country team I was going to join. When school started, I joined the team, and the first practice was a week later.

For practice, we ran a few miles. I was done roughly ten minutes before the next person showed. The coach and I had a good chat in those ten minutes, and I confided in him that I have an ostomy bad. He was so surprised about the fact that I was able to not only finish first but do it with an ostomy bag. I went on to win many cross country meets for the school in my high school time. I loved to run, and the winning was a plus. 

As a child, I loved to run. It was very relaxing to me, and anytime I told someone that I did it for fun, they would always make a face. It was funny to me to see that. I am glad to have had the support of my family and friends. Without them, I’m not sure if I would have been a runner in school. This opened some doors for me, and I was approached by a recruiter who offered me a full-ride scholarship to the school he was representing; I, of course, said yes. I am looking forward to running more in college and further on.