Lynn was born with a rare genetic disorder, Hirschsprung’s Disease. There is no cure.
With Hirschsprung’s Disease, the digestive track is in an uproar because it does not allow food and feces to move smoothly through the intestines. This results in severe constipation, vomiting, obstructions, distention, intestinal ruptures, and lots of pain.
As a child, her life consisted of taking Milk of Magnesia, getting enemas and suppositories all the while eating very little and remaining significantly underweight. She was constipated, in pain and experiencing projectile vomiting. From the age of 4, she began what was to become a lifetime of endless surgeries.
At 7 years old, she got her first colostomy and had to go to the nurse’s office every time she needed to go to the bathroom. The humiliation was extraordinary.
As an adult, she no longer has a colon, rectum, anus, appendix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, gall bladder, or tonsils. Her digestive track stopped functioning completely.
Despite all of these issues, she managed to graduate college and earn two graduate degrees. She worked as a corporate executive and as a high school math teacher. She got married and raised two girls.
At this point, she has her seventh ostomy, a gastric tube for stomach venting – and a jejunal tube for feeding, due to severe motility issues and malnutrition.
Whenever she leaves home*, multiple supplies are needed to change the ostomy, catheters, feeding supplies and pack, and asthma inhaler. Lynn’s service animal, Zev, carries these in his harness. To learn more about what Zev carries in his pack, click here.
*Lynn leaves a home–a lot! She swims three times a week, is active in her community, and travels frequently.
Lynn's Law 