Aimee Rouski Shares Photos of Ileostomy Bag to Raise Crohn's Disease Awareness

Aimee Rouski, a 19-year-old with Crohn’s disease, is speaking up about invisible illnesses.

Conditions like Crohn’s, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes debilitating digestive symptoms and pain, are often dubbed “invisible illnesses” because they rarely have visible symptoms.

“See, you can’t tell that I have a stoma so don’t worry about it,” she captioned her photo in a post on Facebook.

But for many like Rouski, Crohn’s disease is far from invisible. According to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of American (CCFA), around 70 percent of people with Crohn’s disease will ultimately need surgery to manage their condition, many of whom, like Rouski, will require an ileostomy bag.

“My Crohns has left me with a permanent ileostomy, no large intestine, colon, rectum, anus, or inner thigh muscles as they were used for plastic surgery on my wounds,” she shared on Facebook.

Rouski shared her post hoping to inspire others with Crohn’s disease and invisible illnesses to share and celebrate their differences.

“I’ve always been okay with the stuff that has happened to me, but some people have real difficulties accepting these things so I just want to say this,” she wrote. “No one will know unless you tell them. People who know will still love you and still find you beautiful. Your illness is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about”

You can read her Facebook post below:

She writes:

“I’ve wanted to do this for a while because I always see body posi posts for weight, but not many for disabilities / invisible illnesses.

First off I have Crohn’s disease, it’s a serious incurable illness that nearly killed me, not just a stomach ache like most people seem to think.
A person with crohns will go through many different treatments including surgery, and it’s the surgery I want to touch on now.

My Crohns has left me with a permanent ileostomy, no large intestine, colon, rectum, anus, or inner thigh muscles as they were used for plastic surgery on my wounds.

I’ve always been okay with the stuff that has happened to me, but some people have real difficulties accepting these things so I just want to say this.
No one will know unless you tell them.
People who know will still love you and still find you beautiful.
Your illness is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about”