Crohn’s disease: ‘I’ve had an ostomy bag for eight years – I go to the gym, I do yoga, I swim. I can absolutely do everything’

Galway resident Marta Stanska was merely 16 when her health first took a turn. The now 39-year-old, who spent her earlier years in Poland, says she began experiencing a crippling pain in her stomach. Her discomfort only intensified with time, and in a matter of months, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a condition that falls under the umbrella of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).