Ostomy Peer Support Directory

Sandra Wilson

Sandra, 75, NSW, Urostomate

Contact methods: Email

Availability: Daytime, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I enjoy traveling, food (consumption and preparation), craft activities, and watching sports. I value spending time with friends and am passionate about education.

Why I want to support you: When I was diagnosed I was fearful that my life would be significantly and negatively impacted by my treatment and surgery. I was fortunate to have contact with another person who had experienced a similar diagnosis several years ago. Her contact and positivity helped enormously in approaching the treatment and surgery in a hopeful and positive manner.

Dinaaz Lentin

Dinaaz, 66, NSW, Colostomate

Contact methods: SMS, face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I travel for work and fun, enjoy writing, and love spending time with family and friends while keeping my sense of humor.

Why I want to support you: Having experienced the challenges of living with a stoma twice, once with a temporary ileostomy and now with a permanent colostomy, I understand how overwhelming it can be. However, my journey has shown me that life after stoma surgery can be filled with confidence, freedom, and even laughter. As an Ambassador for Diabetes Australia and a Peer Support Champion for Coloplast, I’m dedicated to helping others, especially those facing similar challenges. My goal is to share my story and provide hope, showing that thriving is possible after such a significant change.

Margaret Gower

Margaret, 70, VIC, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, email, face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, evenings, weekdays, weekends

My interests: Rose Gardening, Diamond Art, and exercising once a week at the gym.

Why I want to support you: To give support to others who are new to Colostomy bags as I know it can be difficult to come to terms with it.

Matthew Guess

Matthew, 61, TAS, Urostomate

Contact methods: SMS, email, face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Weekends

My interests: Sports hiking photography and walking my dogs

Why I want to support you: I believe that someone who has been there can be a great supporter of people who are going through or going to have surgery.

David West

David, 58, NSW, Urostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call, SMS, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I like bushwalking and getting outside as much as I can. I have made an effort in recent years to improve my health and fitness and work on strength training. I like to read and spend time on being mindful and practicing gratitude.

Why I want to support you: If I can help just one person navigate through a traumatic period, that’s one less individual feeling isolated with an ostomy bag - a reality no one ever wished for. It’s important to share the message that life doesn’t end with an ostomy bag and that you are no less of a person because of it. I do all the same things that I did before and live life to the fullest. Additionally, I want to emphasise that there is professional support available, and finding someone to share a cup of coffee with or chat  - someone who understands our mutual challenges and experiences - is incredibly comforting and uplifting

Kris Colic

Kris, 69, VIC, Colostomate

Contact methods: Email

Availability: Daytime, Weekdays

My interests: I have a beautiful 9 month old Golden Retriever named Peaches. She is just so adorable. I love AFL footy, have barracked for Collingwood for 60 years. I usually watch an episode or two each day from Netflix etc. I also love cooking.

Why I want to support you: I would dearly love to be able to help people who are not comfortable in their own skin. It took me a while to come to terms with having a stoma. If I can help someone, it would not only help them but help me too. I have had my stoma for 4 years now and I have a stomal hernia too. I also have allergies so maybe I can help with that regard as well on what not to eat so the bag doesn't balloon.I am now comfortable with my stoma so I feel that I want to help others. I think I have a lot to share.

Debbie Gaskin

Dabbie, 59, SA, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Email

Availability: Daytime

My interests: As a big dog lover and animal enthusiast, I've had seven German Shepherds over the past 37 years, and I enjoy gardening, scrapbooking, walking my dogs, and collecting horror and blockbuster movie memorabilia.

Why I want to support you: Having lived with Crohn's disease for 23 years and undergone a proctocolectomy and ileostomy 19 years ago, I have extensive experience with ileostomy bags, exclusively using Coloplast products. I hope to share my knowledge and support others in managing their stomas and maintaining their health, just as a dear friend did for me during my own journey.

Dianne O'Sullivan

Dianne, 72, NSW, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call, SMS, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Evenings, Weekends

My interests: I am a music teacher specialising in piano, violin, and organ. I serve as the Music Director at my church, where I oversee the choir. Additionally, I am the president of the Greater Lithgow Arts Council. In my free time, I enjoy gardening and working on jigsaw puzzles. I am currently involved in a project to transform an old dressing table into a kitchen island.

Why I want to support you: I received invaluable support from a friend and a fellow patient during a challenging time, which has inspired me to help others facing similar issues. It’s important to not only address the physical changes but also the mental impact of having a stoma, and I hope to give back by supporting others through their struggles.

Gayle Marchetta

Gayle, 64, NSW, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, SMS, Email

Availability: Evenings

My interests: Walking, swimming at the beach, reading, spending time with my adult children and my 3 beautiful grand-babies. Movie and coffee, love coffee!

Why I want to support you: After enduring over 30 operations and procedures, I had my bowel and bladder removed to regain control over my bodily functions, realizing too late the value of connecting with ostomates. My lived experience has made me empathetic and articulate, allowing me to offer encouragement and a positive outlook to others facing similar challenges.

Leonard Hinchcliffe

Leonard, 54, NSW, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, SMS, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I enjoy walking, participating in water sports, watching movies, and going out. In general, I like to embrace life.

Why I want to support you: To help people with questions and concerns.I had a lot of this when I was going through this treatment. Somedays I was alone because living in country NSW (Orange).With people living with bowel cancer and stoma you are not alone.

Vicki Weekes

Vicki, 66, TAS, Colostomate

Contact methods: SMS, Email

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays

My interests: Craft work, music, gardening and cooking 

Why I want to support you: I know firsthand how overwhelming and isolating it can feel when you're told you'll need a stoma. Having someone who understands can make a significant difference, and I want to be that peer support person to ensure no one has to face this journey alone.

Shenae Gardner

Shenae, 31, WA, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call, SMS, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I love doing pilates, and going out with friends and families for a meal. I love a good concert or stage show.I will listen to music pretty much ever day, I feel like it's such a good mood stabiliser even through lately its mostly the wiggles ahaha. 

Why I want to support you: I have a strong passion for helping others, and being there for someone to confide in and support them throughout their ostomy journey would be amazing. I will share my ostomy tips and tricks, be there through the ups and downs, and always be just a phone call away.

Anna Mallon

Anna, 30, ACT, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call, SMS, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: Sewing, crafting, cycling, reading 

Why I want to support you: I was all on my own when I first got my ileostomy and I didn't really connect with the other ostomates in my area due to a large age and gender differences. I am wanting to be the person that I needed. 

Claire Martin

Claire, 45, NSW, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call, SMS, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I love traveling and cooking.  Live music and live sports. I spend time on renovating houses and I am passionate about property law. 

Why I want to support you: I would have loved to have someone to talk to about coping with a stoma, especially in the early days. The first time I was paranoid and lost a lot of weight because I didn’t cope with it very well, but this second time around has been very easy because the uncertainty was gone.

Vivien Causon

Vivien, 83, VIC, Urostomate

Contact methods: Email

Availability: Daytime, Weekends

My interests: My interests are my beautiful family and book club.  My hobby is reading.

Why I want to support you: I have helped a couple of friends, one who was about to undergo a colostomy and wanted to know about having a stoma so she visited me and I showed her mine! The other friend had undergone a urostomy and she wanted to compare notes. I really enjoy sharing experiences and hopefully building up some confidence in new ostimates.

Marilyn Hastie

Marilyn, 75, NSW, Urostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Email, Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime,Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: Lawn bowls two or three days a week and my husband and I still caravan around Australia as well as some overseas trips.

Why I want to support you: I'd be happy to help anyone avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered during the early part of my journey.  

Antonia Rebbettes

Antonia, 59, WA, Ileostomate

Contact methods: SMS

Availability: Daytime

My interests: I love traveling and being at home, and I have a deep admiration for animals. As a real estate professional with two young adult daughters and an 11-year-old, I appreciate the beauty of art and embrace the unpredictability of life.

Why I want to support you: It's important to help others feel accepted and unashamed in their experiences, as everyone goes through challenges. Acknowledging our feelings of anger or frustration is part of the healing process, and it's okay to work through them together.

Lynn Sinclair

Lynn, 64, SA, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, SMS, Email ,Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime, Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: Anything medical, reading, gardening, my dogs, cats, and fish. Love my kids and grandkids.

Why I want to support you: I was a fully trained Peer Support officer for St John Ambulance. I have also spoken to many patients about to undergo abdominal surgery with the possibility of a stoma, via contact on various cancer support pages on Facebook, Australian and International.

Jules Insall

Jules, 51, VIC, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Email, Phone, Face-to-face and Hospital visits

Availability: Evenings, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests:I enjoy photography, the great outdoors, travel, tour guiding and hiking

Why I want to support you: In January 2014, I found low blood levels before returning to Africa for work. Tests revealed cancer in my large intestine, leading to surgery and a permanent stoma when removal wasn't possible. Despite a second surgery, I now deal with ongoing gastritis, scar tissue inflammation, nerve issues, and health anxiety. Still, I'm grateful to be here today.

Debra Macneish

Debra, 69, VIC, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Phone call

Availability: Evenings

My interests: Swimming and walking for exercise. Raising Avery birds .Playing music, sewing and many other crafting techniques.

Why I want to support you: Thirty-five years ago in the USA, I faced surgery that revealed I didn't have Crohn's disease as initially thought, but I ended up living with an ileostomy since then. Despite this challenge, I’ve embraced life to the fullest, traveling, swimming, and playing bass, ukulele, and guitar. I’m also blessed to be married to a wonderful man who supports me every step of the way.

Ben Ling

Ben, 41, QLD, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Email

Availability: Daytime, Evenings. Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I enjoy raising my 2 young kids and trail running with our dogs. 

Why I want to support you: Living with digestive disorders and an ostomy can often feel isolating, but I believe it's crucial to share our success stories to foster connection and support. By opening up about our experiences, we can offer hope to those who may be struggling and remind them that they are not alone on this journey.

Emma Spaeth

Emma, 45, WA, Ileostomate

Contact methods: Email, SMS, Facetime and Face-to-face

Availability: Evenings, Weekends

My interests: I love my husband and 4 beautiful kids, fur babies, motorsport (F1, supercars and sprintcars), I enjoy movies and music. I also like candle making and board games. 

Why I want to support you: I have been living with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) since I was 12 years old. At 38, I made the life-changing decision to become an ostomate, and it has truly transformed my life in ways I never thought possible. Now, after 8 years as an ostomate, I can confidently say that I have a quality of life I once only dreamed of.

Leah Grice

Leah, 56, QLD, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call,SMS,Email,Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Daytime,Evenings,Weekdays,Weekends

My interests: I love travelling, my kids and grandchildren (not to mention our labrador dogs and naughty cat).

Why I want to support you: I have an autoimmune disease and rely on medication to manage it. After a straightforward gynecological procedure, my compromised immune system made me vulnerable, leading to septicaemia. Following 10 months of fluctuating illness, I found myself being flown by aerial ambulance to Brisbane for urgent care. After a lengthy surgery, I woke up with “Stella” – a new chapter in my journey.

David Apps

David, 71, VIC, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Vodep call, Email & Face-to-face catch up

Availability: Daytime, Weekdays, Weekends

My interests: I enjoy travelling in Australia and overseas, gym, tennis. I volunteer at my local neighbourhood centre and enjoy reading.

Why I want to support you: For many years, I struggled with recurring bowel polyps, which led to a partial bowel removal in 2018. Unfortunately, this didn't resolve my issues, so in 2019, I underwent a complete bowel removal. Initially, this life-changing event limited my activities, including having to give up yoga, but I soon realized that my lack of confidence and unfamiliarity with my new situation were the main obstacles. Now, in 2025, I am enjoying my retirement; I work out at the gym regularly, play tennis three times a week, and have traveled overseas—soon, I’ll be off again! I also love to explore Australia with my caravan and four-wheel drive, embracing the joys of free camping along the way.

Nyuk Y

Nyuk, 72, WA, Colostomate

Contact methods: Phone call, Video call,Email,Face-to-face catch-up

Availability: Evenings,Weekdays

My interests: I enjoy walking thorughout the week, cooking, baking, coffee catch-ups and outings.

Why I want to support you: Happy to share my story with you - I am an ostomate since 2009.