Ostomy support growing in Chatham

By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com

Local residents who live with an ostomy are no longer alone.

Thanks to the efforts of Katherine Verrall and registered nurse Lori Zozzolotto, the Chatham Ostomy Support Group has been formed to help those who live with the condition.

This study was carried out as a Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) in accordance with the planning and design process for “Schedule C” projects under the Environmental Assessment Act as outlined in the Municipal Engineers Association’s Municipal Class Environmental

Interested persons may provide written comments to the Project Team by March 25, 2023. All comments and concerns should be sent directly to Dhana Niriella at the CK PUC or to Tom Mahood at Jacobs at the addresses provided below.

In addition, a request may be made to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks within 30 calendar days of this notice being issued for an order requiring a higher level of study (i.e., requiring an individual/comprehensive EA approval before being able to proceed), or that conditions be imposed (e.g., require further studies), only on the grounds that the requested order may prevent, mitigate or remedy adverse impacts on constitutionally protected Aboriginal treaty rights. Request on other grounds will not be considered. Request should include the requester contact information and full name.

Requests should specify what kind of order is being requested (request for conditions or a request for an individual/comprehensive environmental assessment), how an order may prevent, mitigate or remedy potential adverse impacts on Aboriginal treaty rights, and any information in support of the statement in the request. This will ensure that the ministry is able to efficiently begin reviewing the request.

The request should be sent in writing or email to:

Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

777 Bay Street, 5th Floor Toronto, ON M7A 2J3 minister.mecp@ontario.ca and

Director, Environmental Assessment Branch Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1st Floor Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 EABDirector@ontario.ca

Requests should also be copied to Dhana Niriella and/or Tom Mahood by mail or by email. Please visit the ministry’s website for more information on requests for orders under section 16 of the Environmental Assessment Act at https://www.ontario.ca/page/class-environmental-assessmentssection-16-order.

Your feedback is important to us.

To provide comments, request additional information, or if you have any issues accessing the document for review, please contact a member of the Project Team:

Dhana Niriella, Ph.D., P.Eng. PE

Project Manager, Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission - Engineering & Compliance

325 Grand Avenue East

Chatham, Ontario N7L 1W9

Telephone: 519-360-1998

Email: dhanan@chatham-kent.ca

Verrall, who acquired an ileostomy due to ulcerative colitis 25 years ago, said it’s always been a dream of hers to create a safe space for people to share about living with an ostomy.

After undergoing the surgery in London and receiving an ileostomy, Verrall said she returned to Chatham feeling scared and “completely alone.”

She said she felt isolated after the surgery, with no supports except for her husband.

Verrall hopes the group will change that for others.

An ostomy is a medical term for an opening in the body – usually in the stomach wall – that’s created during an operation such as a colostomy, ileostomy or gastrostomy. The surgical procedure, which sometimes includes the total removal of the large colon, and is performed due to trauma or a disease such as cancer.

Tom Mahood, P.Eng.

Project Manager, Jacobs Engineering

72 Victoria Street South, Suite 300

Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4Y9

Telephone: 519-579-3500 extension 73241

Email: Tom.Mahood@jacobs.com

If there is no request received by March 25, 2023, the CK PUC will proceed with design and construction of the new raw intake, low lift pumping station, water treatment plant, raw and treated water transmission main, as presented in the ESR. All personal information included in a submission, such as name, address, telephone number, and property location, is collected, maintained, and disclosed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for the purpose of transparency and consultation. The information is collected under the authority of the Environmental Assessment Act or is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public as described in Section 37 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Personal information you submit will become part of a public record that is available to the general public unless you request that your personal information remain confidential. For more information, please contact the Project Officer or the Ministry of the Environment’s Freedom of Information and Privacy Coordinator at 416-314-4075. This Notice of Completion was first issued on February 23, 2023.

Those who have had the procedure wear a pouch under their clothing that collects waste exiting the body. This requires specific care. However, Verrall said that with the right approach, ostomy care is clean and discreet.

Verrall said the feeling to create a support group never left her, and, following her retirement, a series of events transpired that led her to create the group with Zozzolotto, who has specific training in wound and ostomy care.

Verrall said the having the group is key because the ostomy topic isn’t something people usually talk about.

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