Support group for people with ostomies and their families.
A mutual aid group for osteotomates and their family.
To join us: dlapointe@hotmail.fr (President)
Website: www.aicm-montreal.org
A word from the president, Mr. Daniel Lapointe,
Hello everyone,
Emotional support:
One of the main contributions of a stoma support group is the emotional support it provides. Members of the group understand the physical and emotional challenges faced by people with stomas. They can share their own experiences, offer advice, and provide mutual encouragement. This support helps people with stomas overcome the difficulties associated with their condition and improve their emotional well-being.
Education and information:
An association for people with stomas plays a crucial role in education and awareness. It provides information on the different types of stomas, appropriate care, common health problems, available resources, and more. This knowledge helps people with stomas better understand their condition, make informed decisions, and manage their stoma effectively.
Sharing experiences:
Members of a stoma support group can share their individual experiences of living with a stoma. This creates a space where people with stomas can express themselves freely, share their concerns, successes, and challenges. Sharing experiences helps break down isolation and fosters a sense of belonging to a community.
Group activities:
Ostomy support groups often organize group activities, such as regular meetings, conferences, workshops, and social events. These activities offer ostomy people the opportunity to meet others who share their experience, build friendships, and have fun. They help strengthen the sense of camaraderie and solidarity within the ostomy community.
Access to resources:
A stoma support group can facilitate access to valuable resources for its members. This can include information on healthcare providers specializing in stoma care, advice on specific products and appliances, recommendations for additional support services, and more. The group can also help its members navigate the healthcare and insurance systems, providing practical support.
Advocacy and awareness-raising:
Associations of people with ostomies often play a vital role in advocating for the rights and needs of people with ostomies. They raise awareness among the general public, policymakers, and healthcare professionals about the challenges faced by people with ostomies, seeking to improve access to quality care, insurance coverage, and social inclusion. Their collective voice can have a significant impact on improving policies and practices related to ostomies.
Boosting self-confidence:
Through support, education, and interaction with other people with ostomies, members of an ostomy support group can build their self-confidence. They learn to live life to the fullest, without feeling limited by their ostomy. This increased self-confidence promotes a better overall quality of life and can help people with ostomies overcome obstacles and achieve their personal goals.
In conclusion, a stoma support group offers emotional support, education, information, group activities, access to resources, advocacy, and increased self-confidence. It plays a vital role in improving the lives of people with stomas and their families by fostering a sense of belonging, a better understanding of the stoma condition, and active participation in society.
A word from the president, Mr. Daniel Lapointe,
Emotional support:
One of the main contributions of an ostomy association is the emotional support it offers. Association members understand the physical and emotional challenges faced by ostomates. They can share their own experiences, offer advice and mutual encouragement. This support helps ostomates overcome the difficulties associated with their condition and improve their emotional well-being.
Education and information:
An ostomate association plays a crucial role in education and awareness. It provides information on the different types of ostomies, appropriate care, common health problems, available resources and more. This knowledge helps ostomates better understand their condition, make informed decisions and manage their stoma optimally.
Sharing experiences:
Members of an ostomy association can share their individual experiences of living with an ostomy. This creates a space where ostomates can express themselves freely, sharing their concerns, successes and challenges. Sharing experiences breaks down isolation and fosters a sense of community.
Group activities:
Ostomy associations often organize group activities, such as regular meetings, conferences, workshops and social events. These activities offer ostomates the opportunity to meet others who share their experience, forge friendships and enjoy themselves. They help strengthen the sense of camaraderie and solidarity within the ostomate community.
Access to resources:
An ostomate association can facilitate access to valuable resources for its members. This can include information on healthcare providers specializing in ostomies, advice on specific products and appliances, recommendations for additional support services, etc. The association can also help members navigate the healthcare and insurance systems, offering practical support.
Advocacy and awareness-raising:
Ostomy associations often play a key role in advocating for the rights and needs of ostomates. They raise awareness among the general public, policymakers and healthcare professionals of the challenges facing ostomates, seeking to improve access to quality care, insurance coverage and social inclusion. Their collective voice can have a significant impact on improving ostomy policies and practices.
Confidence-building:
Through support, education and interaction with other ostomates, members of an ostomy association can build their self-confidence. They learn to live life to the full, without feeling restricted by their ostomy. This increased self-confidence promotes a better overall quality of life, and can help ostomates overcome obstacles and achieve their personal goals.
In conclusion, an ostomy association offers emotional support, education, information, group activities, access to resources, advocacy and confidence-building. It plays an essential role in improving the lives of ostomates and their loved ones, fostering a sense of belonging, a better understanding of the ostomate condition and active participation in society
A word from the Vice-President, Raymonde Roy Côté
Hello everyone,
Jean-Pierre Lapointe is doing well, and we wish him rest and good health. I hope the fire-affected areas will receive rain to help firefighters protect homes in those communities.
I remember you asking us for a place with parking! In Montreal it wasn't possible due to the costs, but we were lucky, Mr. Gerald Bellerose is a Knight of Columbus and one of our members; with his contacts, the Knights of Columbus provided us with a place with rooms, kitchens, parking, etc.
It's easy to access and not far away, he already sent you the directions with pictures in the old newsletter and it's free by the route he makes you take and in addition it's in daylight.
Your presence is essential and appreciated in order to continue the work we do for our AICM association. We have activities, we provide information and advice to both new and existing ostomy patients.
Hoping to see you again soon!
Raymonde Roy Côté
Important message:
In order to improve our journal, make it more informative and contribute to the well-being of everyone, we would very much like ostomy people to write a testimonial text that we will be happy to add to the next publication.
Important event coming soon
We have an information meeting on September 30th at 9:00 am.
The AICM annual meeting will be held in the Fabre Council Room in Laval on September 30 at 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be served to participants.
The day will be themed: Living with a stoma.
A stoma therapist and a pharmacist will be present to answer your general questions. You will also hear testimonials from people with different types of stomas, which will be of interest and help you better understand that having a stoma is not an end, but the beginning of a life that continues despite some manageable inconveniences.
Your presence is essential for the well-being of our Association. If members do not get involved, they are contributing to the AICM's demise.
WHO will subsequently answer questions concerning people with ostomies?
Help us to help you.
Secretary's Message, Roland Fournier
Hello to each of you,
Finally, summer comes to enhance our lives and allows for a gentle tranquility without overdoing the hot sun, which can become dangerous for the skin and even develop dangerous and deadly diseases.
I would like to return to a key point for our Association: THE PARTICIPATION of members and ostomy people in general.
We strive to energize the group by organizing activities, but participation is key. Several lunches and highly interesting information sessions attract only a small number of members. For the organizers, this is a reward for their efforts and encourages them to continue for the greater good of all.
Many ostomy patients, both new and long-standing, regularly need information and advice from the AICM, which would not make life easier without the survival of our free, volunteer support group, other than an almost symbolic annual membership fee.
No association can carry out its mission without the necessary, concrete, regular and interested contribution and participation of its members.
Although the pandemic has greatly changed people's habits, we mustn't give up and believe that everything can miraculously continue. It's now time to resume a normal and peaceful life in order to strengthen the AICM's workforce.
A serious effort is required, and will we be capable of it for the good of us all?
A word from the Treasurer, Gérald Bellerose
Hello everyone,
Half the term has already passed and during the end of winter and beginning of spring we organized meetings with lunch service at the Knights of Columbus premises of the Fabre council.
(See photos from the March lunch)
Unfortunately, the participation we anticipated did not materialize. During one of these lunches, the Fabre Knights of Columbus council presented us with donations for our participation in their fundraising campaign, of which the suicide prevention organization was the main beneficiary.
Fabre Council Donation of $1609.00, Disraeli Council $300.00, Sainte-Marguerite d'Youville $100.00, Ste-Dorothée Council $250.00, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines $540.00, and Lambton $100.00.
Total donation received from the Knights of Columbus: $2,899.00. A huge THANK YOU for their support!
Other activities are being considered for this autumn; we hope you will participate in large numbers. Thank you for supporting your association.
ASSIGNMENT
To improve the well-being of people with stomas and their loved ones by providing them with up-to-date information on how best to live with a stoma. This information will be shared through meetings, personal visits, literature, and other informational media.
GOALS
1- Registered charity, NE:12039 3079 RR 0001
Letters Patent registered in book C-1180 folio 188
2- Inform the ostomy person in order to rehabilitate them and convince them that, following surgery, they are a capable and able person, they must turn outwards, open up to their surroundings rather than withdraw into themselves and live apart from society.
3- Convince manufacturers to improve their products in order to provide the most suitable and appropriate equipment possible for the ostomy person.
4- Using different media, provide medical and nursing staff with information from the Association on the care required by a person with a stoma.
A stoma therapist can take care of her rehabilitation.
5- To help the ostomy person both morally and psychologically through support visits, information exchange, and education of the public and members.
6- To make the Association known to the public and the help it can provide to any person with a stoma through the publication four times a year of a bilingual bulletin, the invitation to the public to attend the Association's meetings, the collection and exchange of information and advice in pre- and post-operative care.
7- Meeting place: Fabre Knights of Columbus Council, 7354 Lévesque Boulevard, St-François, Laval
The Ileostomy and Colostomy Association works closely with the AQPS (Quebec Association of People with Ostomy).
During this event, the Knights of Columbus of Council Fabre facilitated the sale of 50/50 raffle tickets, which was conducted by our secretary, Roland Fournier, generating $242.00 in sales. Half of these proceeds were donated to the AICM (Association of Knights of Columbus of the Middle East), and the other half was generously donated to the AICM by the raffle winner, Mr. Jean-Claude Gosselin, the council's financial secretary. In addition, the council donated the proceeds from the 2022-2023 Charity Campaign to the AICM, totaling $1,252.00. The kitchen staff consisted of volunteer members of the Knights of Columbus. The table service was provided by the wife of our president, Mrs. Danielle Leclerc, our vice-president, Mrs. Raymonde Roy Côté, Mrs. Denise Bellerose, wife of the AICM treasurer, and myself, Treasurer Gérald Bellerose. Only two members participated in this activity: Ms. Huguette Fortier and Ms. Lucille Bouchard. We hope to have a larger turnout at the next luncheon. Gérald Bellerose, Treasurer and Publicist.
Happy birthday
JUNE
June 4 - Mrs. Marie-Berthe Roy
June 15 - Mr. Jacques Lachapelle
June 16 - Mr. Roger Nault
June 23 - Ms. Danielle Trudeau
June 23 - Ms. Denise Dagenais
June 26 - Ms. Suzanne Brouilla
June 29 - Ms. Danielle Leclerc
June 29 - Mr. Pierre McComber
July
July 1st - Ms. Lynda Paradis
July 4 - Ms. Lucille Bouchard
July 14 - Ms. Nicole Lapointe
July 20 - Ms. Raymonde Roy Côté
July 31 - Ms. Nicole Champagne
August
August 8 - Ms. Élise Ranger
August 12 - Mr. Jacques Chatel
September
September 7 - Ms. Chantal Ouelette
September 20 - Mr Louis Serafino
September 24 - Mr. Roland Fournier
September 27 - Ms. Lorraine Montpetit
To each of you, we wish a happy birthday filled with happiness in the continuation of your wishes.
In the fall of 2009, after consultations and some tests, I was unfortunately diagnosed with bladder cancer.
From that moment on, I decided to confront this intruder with strength, courage, and determination. I underwent urostomy surgery on January 20, 2010. A total removal of the bladder, the prostate (which was also cancerous), and all the surrounding lymph nodes was performed in order to stop the disease and its spread.
After a difficult convalescence and a period of rehabilitation, as I was only 61, I returned to work with renewed enthusiasm. My life resumed its normal course with my family and friends. Of course, I had to undergo regular checkups to ensure a complete cure for the past cancers. In July 2011, I received a diagnosis of cancer in my right kidney and the requirement to remove it as soon as possible. On October 5th, the kidney was removed, only to be found by pathologists to be perfectly healthy. The news hit me like a ton of bricks, but I quickly had to face reality and learn to live with the inevitability of this absurdity and regain my footing. I had to demonstrate resilience, accept the consequences, and strive to use my experiences to contribute positively to the continuation of my life. That's when I became firmly involved in volunteering, where I found comfort and gratitude while passing on comforting values.
Over time and with several infections, my kidney has weakened considerably and no longer filters my blood properly. With an efficiency rate of around 15%, I am on chronic kidney protection and have been closely monitored by doctors for the past eight years. The next step will be dialysis and/or a transplant. Fate is a constant threat, but I refuse to let it overshadow my life.
Now that I'm almost 75, nothing prevents me from leading an active life like before, even though I've had to learn to slow down. I've learned to better appreciate all the daily joys, and more than ever, I can say that life is beautiful. It all depends on the perspective and mood from which you approach it. The choice is there, and we simply need to enhance our choices and make the most of all the opportunities available to us. So, with my eyes on the future, I consciously choose to live well and savor each moment with realism and contentment.
Pity and waiting for death are not part of my life, nor do they define me. I have a stoma, and I'm not ashamed of it. Without it, I would have been starving a long time ago.
Instead, I continue to be involved in volunteering and I create precious memories for my two grandsons whom I love so much, and they return the favor intensely.
I have adopted this motto and I am happy, despite everything: When you look towards the sun, you do not see its shadow...
Roland Fournier, June 2023
THE MONTREAL ILEOSTOMY AND COLOSTOMY ASSOCIATION
ILEOSTOMY AND COLOSTOMY ASSOCIATION OF MONTRÉAL 460, 23e Avenue Nord, Saint-Jérôme, Qc, J7Z 6C9
MEMBERSHIP / RENEWAL
NAME: (Ms./Mr.) ______________________________________________
Date of birth: ___________ ________ ___________Year / month / day
Date of operation: __________ _________ ___________Year / month / day
ADDRESS: ___________________________________________App: _____
CITY: _____________________________________PROVINCE: _________
POSTAL CODE: ___________ ____________
HOME PHONE NUMBER: ___________ __________ __________________
CELL PHONE: ___________ __________ ________________
E-MAIL : _____________________________________
Colostomy _______ Ileostomy _______ Ileal Duct _______ Other _______
Regular Member: ______________________________$24.00 _________
Voluntary Contribution (Donations) (Honorary Member) __________$ _________
Return the form with your payment to:
Montreal Ileostomy and Colostomy Association
To Mr. Gérald Bellerose, 273 Briançon Street, Terrebonne, QC, J6Y 1R4
Membership __X _____ Date _________ _____ __________ (yyyy-mm-dd)
A SUPPORT GROUP FOR PEOPLE WITH OSTOMIES AND THEIR FAMILIES
A MUTUAL AID GROUP FOR OSTOMATES AND THEIR FAMILIES
Use this form for new memberships ONLY.
Or a change of address.
Meeting place:
Knights of Columbus Council Room 6035 Fabre
7355 Du Tangara, Laval.
Route :
Departure from the Church of St-Vincent-de-Paul (Corner of Montée St-François and Boulevard Lévesque)
Route :
Departure from the Pie-IX Bridge: (Originating from Montreal.)
Northbound, exit Boul. Lévesque Est.
At Lévesque Blvd., turn left. Cross the village of St-Vincent-de-Paul (until the church) (corner of Montée St-François).
Continue east to Du Tangara (approximately 1.5 km after passing under the A25 bridge).
turn left on Du Tangara
Enter the council building, turn right.
Another option :
From the Pie IX bridge, continue to join Highway 440 towards Terrebonne.
Take the exit for Highway 25 South,
Last exit before the bridge, take the Boul.Lévesque exit.
At Lévesque Blvd., turn left.
Continue east to Du Tangara,
(approximately 1.5 km after passing under the A25 bridge)
turn left on Du Tangara
Enter the council building, turn right.
Route :
Coming from the north.
Via Highway 640 (East or West), take the exit for Highway 25 South.
The last exit before the A25 bridge, Lévesque Blvd. exit.
At Boul. Lévesque, turn left, go under the A25 bridge, continue for about 1.5km, you will arrive at Du Tangara Street.
Enter the council building, turn right to go up towards the council building.
Gérald Bellerose 514-702-3791 (room manager) bellerosegd@videotron.ca
________________________________________________________________
6035 Fabre de Laval
The Montreal Ileostomy and Colostomy Association thanks the council
Knights of Columbus for his generosity.
Financial support, meeting room loans, free parking.
________________________________________________________________
Daniel Lapointe, President
Raymonde Roy Côté, Vice-President
Roland Fournier, Secretary
Gérald Bellerose, Treasurer
Publication date: JUNE 2023 _____________________________________________
