By RICHIE HALL
The story of Fishers girls basketball coach Lauren Votaw’s ulcerative colitis and ileostomy journey didn’t end with her February 2021 surgery to remove her colon.
In fact, some parts of the story are still in the first chapter. That includes the part where Votaw talks about how much her life has improved after years of suffering from colitis as well as the part where she and her husband Jeremy welcomed a new addition to their family.
Votaw was in the hospital for 70 days after the surgery due to several complications, and she admitted there were times that were not easy. (Votaw posted about her journey on her Facebook page, which you can find at https://www.facebook.com/lauren.vail.18) But once she was out of the hospital, she was on her way to a much-improved life.
An ileostomy is a stoma, or surgical opening, formed when the end of the small intestine (ileum) is brought onto the surface of the skin. Waste product then leaves the intestine and stoma, where it is deposited into a bag.
It is necessary to empty the bag throughout the day, but Votaw said in a Facebook post about Inflammatory Bowel Diseases that it takes “approximately one minute” to empty it – which again is a perfect example of how her life has improved.
“I thought my life was going to be limited when in reality, it’s the complete opposite,” said Votaw. “I have way fewer limitations now on what I can eat, when we can travel. I don’t have to worry about where a bathroom is. I can exercise more because my body is healthier.”
Votaw is sharing her story with the hopes that she can “take some of the stigma away from stomas and ileostomy.
“I don’t hide my ileostomy,” said Votaw. “I don’t hide the bag because I want people to ask about it. I want people to know how it saved my life. You never know when you might run into somebody with Crohn’s disease that they’ve been scared to have the surgery because they’re scared of the bag. In most cases, your life is way better.”
“Lauren worked tirelessly to manage this disease and continue to participate in all the activities a young adult wants to experience,” said Ann Vail, Votaw’s mother. “She made so many adjustments to her daily routine just so she could do the things she really wanted to do. Very few people realized how challenging her daily life had become. After the surgery, not only did she feel significantly better than she had for 10 years, many other aspects of her daily life improved and she had more time and energy for her personal and work activities.”
Votaw also wants to being general awareness of bowel diseases. She estimated that she had gone through “12, maybe 13 colonoscopies in that entire time,” when most people will have five in their entire lifetime.
“I was having to miss school a lot and the students would ask why,” said Votaw. “One of the things that I would try to do was be open and honest about what was going on. Colon cancer is a very curable cancer if they find it early and a lot of people are scared of colonoscopies.”
Votaw wants to help her students understand that it’s okay to talk about topics like that, and it’s not something to avoid.
“If they’re ever in a situation, they know it’s okay to do that,” she said.
Votaw and the Fishers girls basketball team has gotten involved with the Crohn’s and Colitis Walk at Conner Prairie. They participated in the walk in 2022, and also helped with the event set-up.
“It means a lot to me that they come and participate in that,” said Votaw. This year’s Indiana Take Steps Walk is scheduled for June 8 at Conner Prairie. More information is available here.
Lauren and Jeremy Votaw marked two years since Lauren’s surgery by finding out they were going to be parents. That was also a story marked with twists and turns before a happy ending.
The Votaws were matched to adopt a baby that was due in November 2022. But that baby’s birth mother changed her mind and decided to raise the baby herself.
“Obviously at the time we were very sad,” said Votaw. “We weren’t really sure what to think. But we trusted our faith. It’s very strong and that’s a very important part of our lives. I had a peace that I couldn’t really understand after that happened. I’m just going to keep doing my thing. Everybody kept saying ‘The child you’re supposed to have will end up with you.’”
Lauren Votaw coached her Tigers team through the 2022-23 season, a historic campaign where Fishers reached the Class 4A state championship game for the first time in school history. During the season, the Votaws kept hearing about another mother that their adoption agency thought would be a good match.
A few days before the state title game, the Votaws received an email asking if they wanted to show their profile to the mother. They said yes. The mother contacted the couple the Wednesday before the state championship, and a phone conversation followed.
The next Monday, Votaw reached out to the mother. She replied with an email that had the adoption contract.
“We were matched literally 48 hours after the season,” said Votaw. “And it was almost as if God was saying ‘This is why we waited.’”
On June 26, the baby boy was born. His name: Logan Vail Votaw. The new family returned home a couple weeks later, and the adoption was finalized in January.
“We’re excited for him to be a part of the Tiger family, for the girls to get to see us as parents,” said Lauren Votaw. “Logan’s going to be around.”