20-Year-Old Won’t Let Chronic Illness Stop Her From Rocking A Bikini

Can you imagine being unable to eat like a normal person? For most of us, this would be a true nightmare, but for 20-year-old Sara Gebert, this is reality.

Two years ago, Sara was diagnosed with Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction (CIPO) and Gastroparesis, according to her website, Sara’s Army. “These conditions are so severe she is considered to be in intestinal failure. She is fed overnight straight into her heart with Total Parenteral Nutriton (IV nutrition),” she wrote. “She has to drain her stomach 24/7 because her body is unable to contain its own digestive contents. Without the bag draining her stomach, she will throw up, sometimes over 60 times a day even on a completely empty stomach.”

I don’t know if that’s why you came up to me or not, but I want to thank you. Living with a chronic illness is no easy feat, and it gets even harder when that illness changes your outer appearance as much as mine has. With clothes on, no one can tell that I’m anything but a “typical” person, but on the beach it’s a whole different story.

No filter can hide the bags under my eyes. I'm so sick I haven't moved in days. 😔😭👎

A photo posted by Sara (@sgebert13) on Sep 27, 2015 at 3:24pm PDT

Everyone is exposed on the beach, but I literally have to “let it all hang out.” I have an ileostomy, a G-tube and a J-tube, not something you see every day. I’m used to them — to me they’re normal. But to everyone else, I’m something out of a science fiction movie. But you, you saw me as a person. You didn’t stare at my equipment, you looked me in the eye. And then — you thanked me.

Ugh really not feeling good 😭😴 hopefully I'll be able to try and get some sleep tonight.

A photo posted by Sara (@sgebert13) on Oct 1, 2015 at 7:10pm PDT

I’m not sure you could tell, but I was stunned. I’ve had people approach me and call me gross or ask me, “Are you really going in the pool like that?” And when you came up to me, I was preparing for the worst. But what came next still has me in awe. You thanked me for rocking my bikini, told me about how you used to have an ileostomy as well and how you no longer have a large intestine. You told me I was inspiring. That honestly meant the world to me.

Any day I'm able to yoga on the beach is a good day 🕉 #beach #yoga #wheel #pointpleasant #beachyoga #yogaeverydamnday #chronicillness #chronicintestinalpseudoobstruction #winningduh

A photo posted by Sara (@sgebert13) on Jul 15, 2016 at 5:25pm PDT

When I was packing for that trip, I agonized for hours about what bathing suits to bring. I actually brought every bathing suit I owned and money to buy a new one because I didn’t think I had the right one to hide everything. That morning I made a last minute decision to just wear my bikini as if I didn’t have any extra parts on my belly. I was so nervous. Every teenage girl can have body image issues, and since getting my ostomy, mine have been multiplied by 100. We hadn’t been on the beach long when you approached me, and I was already feeling uncomfortable, thinking all eyes were on my ostomy. But after speaking with you for those few short minutes, all my worries melted away. At that moment, I realized what I look like doesn’t matter, and for the rest of vacation, my only bathing suit issue was that I had severely over-packed and probably didn’t need nearly as many as I had brought!

So thank you. Thank you for restoring my faith in the good of people. Thank you for allowing me to feel comfortable in my own skin. And finally, thank you for giving me the confidence to enjoy my vacation to the fullest extent.

Were you inspired by Sara’s amazing strength? Please SHARE her story with your friends on Facebook today to spread her message of hope and love!

[Featured Image: Facebook /  Sara’s Army]

20-Year-Old Won’t Let Chronic Illness Stop Her From Rocking A Bikini is an article from: LifeDaily