Poop in a Bag: East Bay Native Documents Journey With an Ostomy From Surgery Through Half-Marathon Completion

From Rebecca Kaplan:

More than 1.6 million Americans live with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) every day, yet many Americans do not even know what Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are, let alone how debilitating these diseases can be.

Martinez native and YouTube sensation Rebecca Zamolo understands this all too well; she has ulcerative colitis and has spent the past nine months living with an ostomy bag.

After eight years battling the disease, in 2014, Rebecca’s doctors told her she needed an ileostomy- surgery to remove her colon. When she received this news, she decided that she needed to raise public awareness of these debilitating diseases. With support from 186 Kickstarter donors, Rebecca and director Jay Diaz created a documentary following her through the life-changing surgery and struggle of adjusting to life wearing an ostomy bag, while also attempting to run a half marathon just two months after surgery.

“Having an inflammatory bowel disease can feel incredibly isolating. Between the debilitating physical and emotional pain and the stigma associated with bowel diseases, many patients are too embarrassed to speak publicly about what it is like to have a digestive disease,” Zamolo said. “We can’t spread IBD awareness if no one is willing to talk about it. I wanted to be a face and a voice for those that are suffering silently, in hopes that by sharing my own personal story, others realize that they are not alone in this fight. Obviously, living with a bag of poop on my side took some getting used to, but it really gave me my life back and I am so thankful I did it. It was the best non-decision I ever made.”

Zamolo’s documentary, INSIDE/OUT: My Battle with IBD, was screened in Los Angeles earlier this month. INSIDE/OUT is available exclusively on Vimeo on Demand at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/teamrebecca.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable diseases that attack the digestive system. Crohn’s disease may attack anywhere along the digestive tract, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, weight loss and fatigue. Approximately 70 percent of patients with Crohn’s disease and up to one-third of patients with ulcerative colitis may require surgical intervention to treat the disease, including the partial or complete removal of the colon and/or small intestine.

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