Growing up, Bethany Purnell thought she was just like any other kid. Unfortunately, at just 10 years old, severe abdominal pain and fatigue took over her life.
Doctors diagnosed Bethany with Crohn's disease, a condition that she still lives with today.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Crohn's disease is a variety of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes your digestive tract to become inflamed. This leads to all sorts of gastrointestinal discomfort.
Although there isn't a known cure for the disease, there are various therapies and treatments available to make living with Crohn's more bearable.
Bethany tried many of these, including special diets and medications, but nothing could quite make her feel well enough.
Finally, at 17, Bethany made the decision to have her large intestine removed.
The procedure left her with an ileostomy bag and the inability to pass waste like the rest of us. Still, she tells Daily Mail that it was the "best decision" she ever made.
Photo: Instagram 1, 2, 3 / bethanypurnell
Instead of being ashamed of her ileostomy bag, Bethany decided to embrace it and even show it off on social media.
In fact, Bethany has over 11,000 followers on Instagram and seems to be getting more every day.
Bethany not only shows off her ileostomy bag on a regular basis, she also isn't afraid to decorate it for a holiday or even just for fun.
Here, Bethany celebrates the year anniversary since her last emergency surgery.
Unfortunately, it would not be very long before she needed another one.
In this photo, Bethany explains:
So I went to A&E last night at 8:30PM and I didn’t get seen until 4 AM due to how busy they were. I had to wait for the surgical team to come and assess me and at 3PM today, I had an Ultrasound Scan on the swollen lump around my Stoma & they’re very confused and unsure as to whether the lump is a hernia or another abscess. I was discharged for tonight and I have to go in at 8AM tomorrow morning to have emergency surgery.
Luckily, Bethany's boyfriend, William, is there for her every step of the way, and understands Bethany's condition fully.
Bethany may be in for more emergency surgery, but that doesn't stop her from having a little bit of fun or enjoying a photo opportunity.
Bethany also isn't afraid to show pictures that might make some people uncomfortable.
It's all part of her being open and using her Instagram as a diary of her progress.
She tells Daily Mail:
Those people helped me in ways I could never thank them, so I wanted to help other people, too. I wanted to show others that were going through similar situations that they’re not alone, and having an ileostomy bag really isn’t as scary and frightening as you first think.
Be sure to SHARE this story with your friends on Facebook!
