Marshfield Woman’s Tale of Survival & How She’s Helping Others Now
Christine Maccallum of Marshfield holds a pamphlet for the Ostomy Peer Support Group. MacCallum kick-started the group, after experiencing her own struggles, hoping she could help others. Photo property of Marshfield Press © 2017. All rights reserved.
Story by Tanya Nicolle MacCallum.
It was 2003 when Christine MacCallum’s doctors told her she was going to die. By that time, she had already been in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for nearly a year, having had two emergency bowel surgeries.
At the time, she hadn’t yet been diagnosed with Chron’s—a serious inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. And, after her second surgery, MacCallum had contracted a serious infection, preventing her body from healing. “The doctors literally told me, ‘Your bowels have fallen apart’.”
MacCallum says if it weren’t for the devotion of her husband, James (Jimmy) MacCallum, she wouldn’t have seen another day. She says her healthcare team talked to her husband, referring to her situation as ‘a failed attempt to save her’; and, they offered to place MacCallum in palliative care, where she could die with dignity. But Jimmy advocated for her, and pleaded for the doctors to not give up; begging to not put his wife in palliative care. “He fought tooth and nail,” says MacCallum, teary-eyed.
In May 2004, with her husband’s protest, and on a whim of chance, MacCallum was air-lifted to Halifax where Dr. MacIntyre—a well respected surgeon—said he would try to save her. When MacCallum arrived to Halifax, she says Dr. MacIntyre told her, ‘Another twenty-four hours, and you would have died.’
MacCallum stayed in Halifax, under Dr. MacIntyre’s care, until November 2005. She has endured more than six surgeries since then—from rebuilding holes in her stomach, to patching what was left of her bowels into an organ system, in which a stoma could be placed. A stoma is an opening on the surface of the abdomen which has been surgically created to divert the flow of waste when the bowels are not able to do so.
MacCallum’s organs became fused after the rebuilding surgeries, which continues to cause her complications today. She’s since had mesh placed over her stomach’s outer layers, and plastic surgery on her stomach and fused organs. But she and her husband, Jimmy, have remained optimistic. They say her recovery is still in the making, and every day is a victory.
Every day is a Victory, says MacCallum.
“I was so weak. At first, I started to walk to the kitchen and back. Then, we’d go to Victoria park and Jimmy would follow me with a wheelchair while I walked ahead with my walker. A few steps were better than none.” MacCallum can now walk up to 9 km/day with her walker—something she’s spent the last several years working toward.
But, she says she must be mindful, because she can become weak. Now that she’s officially diagnosed with Chron’s, she’s conscious of her diet. With little bowel left, and a stoma-ostomy device, she can’t afford to cause inflammation or have obstructions—something that’s already occurred, despite eating well. Proper rest, diet, and light exercise—such as walking, is key.
MacCallum wants others to know they’re not alone, and that you can have a full, rich life living with an ostomy.
In lieu of MacCallum’s difficulties, and the emotional experience of adjusting to an ostomy—the pouching system that functions with a surgically diverted stoma—she wants others to know they’re not alone, and that you can have a full, rich life with an ostomy.
Ostomy Peer Support Group
MacCallum says there is no need in hiding how emotionally devastating it can be for people who’ve suffered a similar fate. “It’s like, here’s your bag, pack it on and away you go. No one wants to address the emotional part. No one talks about the fear and the embarrassment that comes with an ostomy.”
"No one wants to address the emotional part. No one talks about the fear and the embarrassment that comes with an ostomy.”
MacCallum started PEI’s first Ostomy Peer Support Group in May 2017, with the help of Ostomy Canada. “There are support groups for cancer, for Crohns and colitis, but there is no specific group for those who struggle with an ostomy. People from all walks of life, disease, and accidents have ostomies; but there’s no awareness or support for the devastation, fear, feeling dirty and ashamed.”
MacCallum points out the financial barriers to obtaining ostomy supplies, which are a priority for those who have one. “We are the only province in Canada which doesn’t provide direct funding to those who need ostomy supplies. There are some options, but very few, and only a small group of people qualify.”
MacCallum explains a healthcare provider may sign a form to help with assistance, but due to strict regulations few are approved. She’s been thankful for Murphy’s pharmacy—who has made a commitment to help those who need ostomy supplies, by applying a 15% discount; and, there are rewards points, too.
Murphy’s have provided a location for the Ostomy Peer Support Group to meet—on the last Tuesday of every month, at 7pm—at Murphy’s Community Centre on Richmond street. Everyone is welcomed. MacCallum says Murphy’s, along with Eileen Jeffery—president of Ostomy Canada’s Halifax sector—have been key resources in supporting the peer group’s growing success.
There will be a Stoma Stroll in fall of 2017 to create awareness, and break the stigma around ostomies. MacCallum says, “I want others who are in a similar situation to know, stay positive. An ostomy can change your life for the better.”