Jolene’s Story

A Story of Courage – 117 Days of Strength

This is the story of one brave woman whose life was forever changed by a medical emergency. Due to negligence, Jolene had to undergo an emergency colostomy and was left terrified, not of the stoma itself, but of not having stoma bags to survive.

For almost 2 months, she relied on donations from Footprints 2 Africa. With only 6 bags from the hospital, her son washed and reused stoma bags meant to be thrown away, just so she could keep going.

“You will NEVER know the difference a stoma bag for a basic human need makes in the life of an ostomate.” Thanks to your support, our supplies reached her, giving her dignity and hope during those 117 days with Jolene her stoma. Today, she proudly carries her “No-lene” scar as a reminder of battles fought and lessons learned. Her story is proof of what one stoma bag can do. It’s not just medical, it’s lifechanging.