Jerzy Truchanowicz

POLAND  

After doctors diagnosed Jerzy Truchanowicz, an avid alpinist, with ulcerative colitis, they tried to prepare him for the fact that he might never climb again, especially after complications from surgery resulted in an abscess on his spine. Jerzy refused to accept this possibility, and eight months after spinal surgery, climbed Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.

Since then, Jerzy has gone on to climb Mont Blanc five times and Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, three times. “Illness has to be fought,” says Jerzy. “I believe you should pursue your dreams in life, and chase them continually.”

Mountain climbing wasn’t the only challenge Jerzy took on after his ileostomy. While working as a food quality inspector and training for climbs, Jerzy personally built his dream house by himself and also began traveling to places such as Indonesia’s Borneo Jungle, Patagonia and Vietnam. He also became involved with the Polish Ostomy Association, Pol-IIKO, and started helping patients after their surgery, often being a volunteer in outpatient clinics.

Jerzy, now 60 years old and retired, is working tirelessly to help other ostomates realize that living with a stoma doesn’t have to limit their dreams. He participates in educational programs for ostomy patients in which he shows pictures and footage from his climbs and answers their questions. Jerzy is committed to breaking down barriers for people living with ostomies, and hopes that sharing his story will encourage and motivate others to live a full life.