The 32-year-old Australian mom of two has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory condition that affects the bowel.
This pouch collects stool, and has to be emptied and cleaned numerous times a day.
Every couple of days, Miller replaces the bag and the attachment.
Miller blogs about life with an ileostomy bag on her Facebook page,Bag Lady Mama.
She also wants women in her position to do their research, and advocate for themselves.
“It was so frustrating,“she wrote.
“I just wanted to be a ‘normal’ girl!
I wanted to be able to not fear I wouldn’t make it to the toilet in time.
It was so horrible.
I was being scrutinized because I worked in a call centre and was taking too many toilet breaks.”
She chose to have surgery after her symptoms became unbearable.
She slowly rebuilt her confidence, and ended up feeling super empowered and just as sexy as ever.
She told her now-husband about the stoma on their second dateand it didn’t faze him at all.
The experience wasn’t smooth sailing.
She also had four miscarriages before the pregnancy that resulted in her infant daughter, Arabella.
she toldThe Daily Mail.
I think its absolutely vital to just be upfront with our children about having an ostomy.
Ultimately, by sharing her photos and experiences, she wants to empower others.
Miller was recently accepted into a nursing program, and hopes to earn a degree in stomal therapy.
She will continue to share her experiences online as a way to help others.
“The moral of the story is… You are still sexy!”
she says to women going through the same thing.
“You are still amazing.
You are still powerful.
You are still desirable.”
Check out Miller’s bloghere.
