BRIDGING THE CARE GAP: OUR COMMITMENT TO ADVOCACY, AWARENESS, AND EDUCATION
Last year, our hearts guided every step we took at TWINS for iPouch & Stoma Patients Ltd. We set out to do more than support patients with stoma and ipouch care; we wanted to change lives. From the first quiet conversations with patients at their homes or over video calls, to late-night brainstorms about how to amplify their voices in the wider healthcare world, our journey has been fuelled by compassion, curiosity, and the unwavering belief that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and understood.
We launched the first of what would become a steady rhythm of TWINS webinars, one every four to eight weeks, and some of them also co-hosted with industry partners who share our vision for better stoma and ipouch care. In those sessions, we always began by centring patient voices. We dove into the nutritional challenges of ostomates and people with an ipouch; and explored in detail potential complications and their prevention and management. Attendance steadily climbed as word spread and patients logged in from across the UK and the World, asking questions in real time and staying on afterwards to share their own experiences. Each webinar reinforced something vital: when we bring practitioners, patients and partners together in honest dialogue, the gaps in care become impossible to ignore.
Our first awareness day, and the walk we organised through London’s Westminster parks, set the tone for everything that followed. On 7th October 2024, we started at Westminster Bridge under crisp autumn skies, and after a few hours of walking around, we reached Buckingham Palace and then back to Westminster Bridge. That day did more than raise awareness; it built community, gave our daily campaigns fresh stories to tell, and reminded us that visibility is the first step toward real change.
We also committed to daily social media campaigns designed to bring real life into the online world. Beginning in October 2024, every day, our channels have featured an “Awareness for iPouch & Stoma Patients” post. Our industry sponsors have always supported us by liking and reposting our posts, helping us reach thousands more people each month and ensuring these stories stay front and centre. These posts span across our website, as well as all major social media platforms - TikTok, Threads, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn. We have 45,000 views per month across all online media. These are also steadily increasing each month, helping us raise awareness for those who have an ipouch or stoma.
