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This years i have been challenged to rebuild my health and learn to ice skate culminating in playing a game of ice hockey.

This year’s challenge is centred on the sport of Ice Hockey, as Zoe and her son Thomas are dedicated fans of their local team “Sheffield Steeldogs” Whilst watching Thomas learn to play ice hockey, The perfect challenge has become evident for Zoi to give it a go and take to the ice in an effort to tone her body after many operations last year and raise some funds toward Stomawise and the OstoBears.

Zoi in the last five and a half years has had the misfortune to undergone too many extensive operations with extended periods in hospital as her body unable to cope without the constant support of her medical team.

2017 unfolded to become Zoi’s most taxing year with extreme lows, cancelled much needed operations due to her condition and malnourishment, the first cancellation was in the February
as she was to weak for surgery to go ahead her Doctors decided to postpone the operation and try to build her up so she could withstand the surgery better which was desperately needed, During this period of building Zoi up for surgery her body reacted both positively and negatively rejecting her feeds at times, in the April while Zoi had not long suffered a Migraine that mimics having a small stroke and leaving the left side of her body paralysed, Came another devastating blow when her family came to informed her that her father had sadly passed away.

This sad news rocked her family in many ways. Zoi was granted leave from hospital to attend her father’s funeral with the help and support of her family, who kept her on her feet throughout the funeral until her return back to hospital after the funeral, For that she will be  ever thankful.

Zoi then underwent her surgery which started a chain reaction of life threatening issues, within a space of four days she returned to theater 3 times, the latter of the two being both being emergencies due to Aneurysm that had burst, leaving the Ileostomy without blood supply, which left Zoi requiring blood transfusions and immediate surgery to correct this and then again a third operation as the bowel had died
resulting in a black stoma and a third dash to theatre.

All of the above left Zoi very very weak but being the stubborn fighter that she is the battle was not over as she got stronger and came to terms with what had happened her determination showed through to recover and be there for Thomas.

I personally was with Zoi when her 3 times in 4 days refashioned stoma started to work which at the time seemed like a miracle but down to her strength and determination. – Recovery had hopefully started despite the beating her body had taken

Sadly within a few months Zoi was back in hospital requiring more surgery as her abdomen wall now being so thin and weak due to all the surgery could not support the ileostomy and needed some support in its self.

As she was still weak and malnourished from the previous operations this meant she wasn’t strong enough to undergo more surgery to correct this but was decided that she was to have a JPEG fitted through her abdomen and into her bowel to help replenish the nutrients her body was so badly in need of, it was decided at the same time to move her Ileostomy to her left side which had a stronger mussel structure in her abdomen wall compared to the battered right hand side.

Zoi’s bad luck struck again!  As after the operation she then
ended up being taken to High Dependency Unit, to which she has no recollection of due to being very ill and kept under sedation then again being rushed back to theatre from HDU as things had gone wrong yet again with the mesh inserted to support her abdomen actually strangling her bowel.

Once she was stable enough she was moved back the colorectal ward with her amazing team who knew her very well, as they nursed her yet again they noticed something was not rite and again was rushed back to theater as her bowel had stopped working resulting in Zoi vomiting her feces due to yet another strangulation and a bowel with no blood supply.

Whilst recovering it was clear Zoi’s body couldn’t tolerate the feeding tube into her bowel which she was reliant upon to help keep her fed and nourished, The JPEG feeding tube had to come out!, as this was a big step backward for both Zoi and her doctors it was to be the only way forward to get this young lady living again and in a position in which she could support her son.

Zoi being the stubborn fighter she is fought through a very tough year, but still with the ability to make several of us laugh to which she has no recollection of, but with all the joy and happiness her smile gives to others while she is fighting her own battle many of us can’t even imagine.

Zoi is now in a better place and full of life and even though her healthy to many would stop us even getting out of bed she fights on, 2018 has still been a hard and rocky year, She has proven that nothing is going to hold her back from living life and being a dedicated mother to Thomas.

We wish Zoi good luck in this challenge as she is putting her all into our “Ice Hockey Challenge” updates will be posted on a regular basis highlighting her journey and commitment as her strength and ability builds we hope to see her participating in an actual game. 

Going from 7 plus major operations in 2017 to putting the puck in the back of the net in 2019 follow this young ladies inspirational story with us! As “CAN’T” is not a word in Zoi’s dictionary.

Follow Zoi’s “Ice Hockey
Challenge” here: http://www.stomawise.co.uk/zoi/

Zoi would like to thank:-

Thomas her son for being amazing!

Jersey53.

Paul and Rory, for the coaching and support.

And all her friends for getting her into such a crazy challenge.