It Takes a Village: How Community Pharmacy Has Walked Every Step of My IBD Journey
By Victoria Spillane, interim Chief Operations Officer, Crohn’s and Colitis Ireland
Source: Irish Pharmacy News, April 2026, pages 24.
I was thirteen when I first heard the words Crohn’s Disease. At an age when most of my friends were worrying about school exams and general adolescent issues, I was learning how to navigate scopes, steroids, and the fear that my body had suddenly turned unpredictable. What I didn’t realise then was that Crohn’s would shape not just my health, but my entire life – from the work I do today to the way I understand resilience, community, and compassion.
Over two decades later, I live with a permanent ileostomy after years of exhausting every possible treatment. My stoma, lovingly nicknamed Guiney, gave me back the life that Crohn’s had stolen. But as anyone with IBD or a stoma will tell you, the medical procedures and medications are just one part of the story. The practical, emotional, and day-to-day realities shape your world just as powerfully.
And throughout every chapter – the flares, the surgeries, the setbacks, the wins – one person outside my immediate family has remained absolutely constant: my community pharmacist.
A Lifelong Anchor in a Turbulent Journey
My pharmacist Sheila has known me since childhood. She has watched me grow from a scared teen picking up liquid diets and steroids, to an adult navigating complex long-term immunosuppressants, to now, a woman living confidently with a stoma. Even after moving location, I never changed pharmacy. That continuity mattered. She mattered.
At a time when so much in my health felt unstable, she offered a rare sense of stability – someone who didn’t need the shorthand, who always remembered the small details, and who saw me as more than a diagnosis.
One of the most meaningful examples happened only recently. A change had been made to the type of stoma bags dispensed for me. Instead of simply processing the prescription and moving on, she picked up the phone to check whether I actually knew about the change. She wanted to make sure it wasn’t an error, that I wouldn’t be caught off guard, and most importantly, that I felt comfortable and supported.
That phone call may seem small, but to someone living with a stoma, it is huge. The wrong product, or an unexpected change, can mean leaks, skin damage, or hours of distress. Her attention to detail wasn’t just professional; it was deeply human.
Living With a Stoma: The Realities Pharmacists Help Ease
People often think that once you have a stoma, the surgery is the end of the story. But in truth, it’s the beginning of a new way of living. You learn what products work, how your skin behaves, how your output changes with stress or diet, and how important reliable, accessible, knowledgeable support becomes.
Community pharmacists play a quiet but powerful role in this.
They are often the first to spot patterns – repeated requests for barrier sprays, more frequent prescriptions for pain relief, or questions that hint someone may be struggling emotionally as much as physically.
For me, my pharmacist has been that safety net. She has:
- Explained medication adjustments in plain, practical language
- Flagged interactions and helped me avoid unnecessary flares
- Reassured me through difficult treatment transitions
- Helped navigate supply challenges – a real issue for stoma products
- Treated every question, no matter how sensitive, with dignity
Those moments accumulate. They build trust. They make living with a chronic illness not just manageable, but less lonely.
Community Pharmacy as Part of the Village
In my advocacy work, I often talk about the idea that “It Takes a Village” to support someone living with IBD or a stoma. Surgeons, gastroenterologists, IBD nurses, stoma nurses, dietitians, mental health supports – they all matter deeply.
But pharmacists are often the unsung members of that village. They see us far more frequently than specialists. They see us on the days we’re exhausted, anxious, sore, and stretched thin. And they are in the perfect position to offer practical advice, early guidance, and simple kindness – the things you can’t always schedule into a clinic appointment.
What I Want Pharmacists to Know
If I could share one message with pharmacists and pharmacy teams, it’s this:
“Your role is profound. Please never underestimate it!”
People with IBD or stomas may look “well” on the outside. We may collect our prescriptions quickly, or seem quiet, or appear rushed. But many of us are carrying years, sometimes decades, of pain, fear, fatigue, and resilience.
The reassurance you give, the questions you ask, the care you take with products and prescriptions, and the moments when you truly see us… they make an enormous difference.
Community pharmacy is often the first place we turn when something feels off, and the last place we leave when we need to feel understood.
A Final Reflection
My IBD journey has been long and winding, filled with challenges I never expected and strengths I never knew I had. But I’ve never walked it alone. And my pharmacist, the same one who supported me as a frightened teenager, has been one of the most constant, compassionate figures throughout it all.
She embodies what community pharmacy can and should be: knowledgeable, reliable, proactive, and deeply human.
It truly takes a village. And I am profoundly grateful that she has always been part of mine.