This Inspirational Woman Has A Stoma Bag And Has Become A World Champion Fitness Model

By Missy aka Tizzy in Feel Good On 10th January 2018
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Resolutions

As the new year begins, we know that the struggles to keep those resolutions are real. You're craving chocolate, and your mind is begging you to buy some more makeup even though you are on a spending ban. In order to show you how important commitment is, we will introduce you to Zoey Wright. She is an amazing young woman who proves that you can do anything you set your mind to.

Zoey Wright

22-year-old Zoey Wright's weight dropped from 140 pounds to 112 pounds back in 2012. She was definitely concerned. She knew that her unexplained weight loss meant that something was wrong within her body. She was concerned, so she took a trip to the doctor who gave her some horrifying news.

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Bad news

Doctors told Zoey that her body was shutting down because her white blood cells were attacking the lining of her bowel wall. Zoey says that she cried a lot and could barely walk or leave her bed just to wash up because she was so weak.

After her diagnosis, she was admitted to the hospital where she started some trials for various different drugs in an attempt to treat her condition which was confirmed as Ulcerative Colitis, a condition that affects one in every 250 people in the UK alone.

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Stoma bag

Because of her UC, Zoey had to wear a stoma bag, or ostomy bag as it is also called, which collects the waste material. Many people who have to wear one of these bags find it to be incredibly embarrassing, but Zoey shows hers off proudly on her Instagram account and during competitions.

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Toxic shock

Zoey spent a month confined to a ward in the hospital after her doctors became concerned that her bowel might perforate which would cause fatal toxic shock. And just when she thought things could not get worse, doctors told her she would need to have ileostomy surgery. This is a procedure that removes part or all of the large bowel and mosts the small bowel to the outside of the abdomen where it forms a stoma.

Self-healing

Zoey made the decision to try to heal herself. She quit using mediation and dedicated all of her energy to bodybuilding. She had the full support of her family and felt better than ever. Sadly, before she got too comfortable in her new lifestyle, her UC came back.

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Chronic pain

"My UC would remind me it was there, tearing away my insides, causing me chronic pain and leading to countless hospital admissions, countless drugs, treatments," she said. "It was mentally and physically pulling me down."

Ileostomy surgery

Two years after she was diagnosed with UC, Zoey finally agreed to have the ileostomy surgery. Instead of pitying herself for the situation that she was in, she chose to focus her attention on something that would make her body look and feel strong despite having to go through this surgery.

10 months later

Ten months after her operation, Zoey was on a stage showing off her impressive body at fitness model events. Bodybuilding had become an outlet for Zoey who is not the Overall World Champion for the largest growing fitness modeling federation in the UK, Pure Elite. She is also the face of a leading sports nutrition brand, USN.

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Tough times

"I’ve been through some extremely tough times accepting my illness. As a young female having the surgery had a massive impact on my body confidences, so when I chose to become a fitness model and step on stage it was really about stepping out of my comfort zone."

Inspiration

"In such an image ordinated industry I wanted to share my journey and reach women and men from all over the world to inspire them to challenge themselves every single day. I think we must all learn to embrace the fact we all have flaws."

Her message

"My message to anyone struggling in life whether that is with IBD, other health conditions or mental health issues is to do one thing every day that scares you," she said.

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Step out of your comfort zone

She says that you should embrace challenges that force you to step outside of your comfort zone. It is a motto that she lives by. She says that every day seems to get better and better.

Inspired yet?

If Zoey's story has not given you the inspiration needed to stick to those New Year's resolutions, then we do not know what will. She is a truly amazing young woman, and we wish her the best on her fitness journey.