An Ostomy is surgery performed to create an opening called a Stoma on the abdomen where body waste is redirected through this opening instead of the bladder or bowels.
An Ostomy Bag is then attached to the stoma that collects the body waste. An Ostomy is performed for many reasons and can be because of diseases such as bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, crohn's disease etc.
Ever since I heard of an Ostomy and how it impacts the daily lives of folks who have to wear an Ostomy bag, I wanted to make one for Smart Doll. After doing more research, I discovered that some folks wear covers around the bag. Some of them have optimistic slogans on them like "shit happens", "beats being dead" and "my other bag is a gucci."
After about two years of back and forth with a design, I decided to opt for the simplest design. Previous designs resembled disposable Ostomy bags that required new injection molds but they didn't quite work out.
After learning about an Ostomy, I have been more aware of public facilities available - for example, on some of the Shinkansen trains in Japan and at Narita Airport, there are dedicated Ostomy toilets that are waist height to assist the disposal of waste.
Free for folks who are eligible
The Ostomy Bag for Smart Doll is available now and is provided free for Smart Doll owners who either have an Ostomy themselves or have a family member who has an Ostomy. Smart Doll owners who are nurses that care for patients that have an Ostomy are also eligible.
Many Smart Doll owners have been telling us their Ostomy story, and I have already sent a few of these out with their orders. If you are eligible, leave a note in your next order telling us your Ostomy story - no need to add this product to your cart - we will put one in for free.
Folks who don't have an Ostomy are still welcome to purchase this product. We plan to continue restocking this product for the foreseeable future.
How to use
I did originally look into putting a hole in the torso but I need to think about the scalability of production and rollout. For this reason, I designed the Ostomy Bag so that existing owners could attach it to their Smart Doll. You will need some simple DIY mana and some blu-tac or masking/double-sided tape. The back of the Ostomy has a metal button - put the blu-tac or rolled up tape on the button and apply to either side of the torso.
Depending on how you attached the Ostomy Bag, do be careful when you are out n about as it could fall off.
I have not noticed any markings on the torso after leaving the ostomy attached with masking tape for two weeks but if you leave it attached for longer then there is a possibility of staining or oil left from the blu-tac or tape. Folks may be able to ninja some magnets at their own risk.
