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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 2, 2024 02:29 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ben Waxman |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Recognizing October 5, 2024, as Ostomy Awareness Day |
| In an ostomy procedure, doctors change how waste passes through the body. They surgically create a stoma on the abdomen, which drains into a pouch, or an ostomy bag, typically located outside the body. Ostomy procedures can be necessary if there is loss of normal function in the digestive or urinary systems due to birth defects, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, bowel injury or medical conditions. More than 750,000 people in the United States are currently living with an ostomy, and 100,000 people undergo a new ostomy procedure each year. To improve the rehabilitation of ostomates worldwide by spreading awareness and promoting national visibility, the United Ostomy Associations of America designates the first Saturday of October as “Ostomy Awareness Day.” I believe that Pennsylvania should join this organization, and everyone that acknowledges this important day, which is why I am introducing a resolution to recognize October 5, 2024, as “Ostomy Awareness Day.” Public education is vital to ensure that those living with an ostomy face no discrimination and are accepted as normal, healthy individuals. Ostomies are a life-saving and life-restoring surgery, and I hope you will join me in raising awareness by co-sponsoring this resolution. |
Introduced as HR503