Unlike most disabilities Inflammatory Bowel Disease is often invisible to those who are not aware of it, and the individuals living with its side effects everyday can often feel isolated. It is because of this that four wonderful women, who each suffer with either Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis, set-up the Get Your Belly Out initiative. A social media driven campaign which aimed to bring together IBD sufferers from around the world to raise awareness for the invisible disability which impacts over 1.6 million Americans alone.

Since its launch in 2014 the Get Your Belly Out campaign has seen ostomy patients from around the world share thousands of intimate photos and stories. In addition to this, it’s provided a new channel for people effected by IBD to provide support to each other. It’s also reached millions of individuals who were previously unaware of the condition and therefore made many more people understand what life is like with an ostomy.

The campaign has not only provided IBD sufferers with a new lease of life and generated awareness, but it’s also helped raise a considerable amount of money for Crohn’s and Colitis UK through donations and the sale of its merchandise. As a result, Crohn’s and Colitis UK, who leads the battle against Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, have been able to support ostomy patients across the country.

Alongside the participation of patients, the Get Your Belly Out campaign has also allowed ostomy care brands engage with ostomates in an entirely new way. One example of this is Trio Ostomy Care. The company, which provides revolutionary ostomy care supplies around the world, has become a prominent influencer within the initiative. Through its social media channels Trio Ostomy Care has re-shared the photos and stories of ostomates and encouraged others to support the great cause. As a result, they have built a close bond with a number of ostomy care patients and have themselves become part of the Get Your Belly Out campaign

Despite there currently being no cure for IBD, the Get Your Belly Out campaign has allowed ostomates around the world share their stories with a renewed confidence. The campaign, which will soon be celebrating it’s 2nd Birthday, has also raised money for a great charity helping IBD suffers in their daily life. More incredibly, it’s one of the few IBD campaigns to see traction and with over 14,000 likes on Facebook we can only hope that it continues to raise awareness around the globe and that the hundreds of photos shared everyday soon becomes thousands.

To find out more about the Get Your Belly Out campaign visit their website. Alternatively, search for the #GetYourBellyOut hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to see the stories shared by ostomy patients around the world. If you would like to learn more about Trio Ostomy Care, and it’s range of ostomy care supplies, visit their website. Finally, to support ostomates around the world make a donation to Crohn’s and Colitis UK along with 28,000 others.