The Gastronauts | Meet the Gastronauts | Harry’s Story | Buy a Gastronaut | Apply for a Gastronaut (HCP Only)
Introducing the Gastronauts:
“As a fully qualified international journalists, working on five continents for 35 years, primarily under the auspices of the US Government, Liz Prosser was suddenly rushed to hospital for an emergency ileostomy in 2006. The ostomate world was completely unknown to her and her fellow journalist husband. To this end, they began a five year intensive research project into the entire world of ostomates and in March 2011, they co-authored the 460 page resource book “Unwanted Baggage”© (available from Amazon.co.uk), all other Amazon sites, and other major retailers (Waterstones etc.) in March 2011. The book is selling worldwide and sales to date have reached over 9,000 in the UK and Australia. In North America, the book has sold 7080 copies to date with a further new international edition now underway. All Royalties are donated to specifically related ostomy charities and foundations.
Due to the interest in the book, it became necessary to construct a continually updating website to amend and announce new sections of interest for Ostomates. The website www.thebowelmovement.co.uk, carries no advertising or sponsorship. There is no forum or membership although there is a bi-monthly newsletter on new ostomical products and international economic changes as they refer to ostomates. The website also carries links to manufacturers and associations worldwide. This is a strictly non profit, informational website.
In May 2011, after consultation with leading forensic child psychologists and palliative care consultants (who regularly counsel chronically ill children and help them adapt to life changes), the Prosser’s decided to pursue additional research in the field of Child Ostomates. Something was badly lacking, primarily communication at a level that children can understand.
As a result, they designed and copyrighted a series of Gastronaut©™ ventriloquist puppets. Initially, the puppets were used to make a series of videos on life with a bag/pouch for children. These were so well received internationally, that the NHS gave them permission to film in local hospitals using gastroenterological and colorectal staff showing some of the actual procedures that young ostomates will experience in the lifetime of their stoma. Using child-sized puppets made these procedures more acceptable to child patients. Two new senior Gastronauts©™ Ruth & Ron represent older ostomates and these can be used to let older patients show children and grandchildren show their surgical differences.
The NHS is now actively promoting the use of the Gastronauts©™ through its own staff newsletters and encouraging colorectal staff to make use of them in hospital settings. The puppets are fully sterilisable and washable. They are complete with lifelike stomas and neonatal bags. For those with internal bags, irrigation cones are also attached. Both can be removed and replaced as they would on a normal child patient.
Very soon, the concept of the Gastronauts©™ was picked up worldwide. The United Ostomy Association of America (The UOAA) established a fund for each US ostomy children to receive a free Gastronaut©™ and thebowelmovement allowed free downloads of the videos to be made available throughout all US paediatric gastroenterology centres. Soon after, the Australian Stoma Association took up the idea and they are both fund raising for the Gastronauts©™ and the local Southern Australian health board has set up its own funding for new ostomate children in their region, to receive these at no charge. In addition, thebowelmovement is happy to provide either generic or specific certificates of “BRAVERY UNDER SURGERY”, laminated and in any language to child patients who have undergone ostomical surgery. These are ‘signed’ by the Original Gastronauts©™. And these again are available in the UK through Stomawise.
In Benelux, Stomaatje.nl is the distributor for the Gastronauts for the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. In Norway, the local ostomy association is also distributing and dubbing the videos.
An amazing 4,322 Gastronauts©™ are now very busy worldwide helping new, young ostomy patients recover from surgery and they have all have a new ostomy friend all of their own
We are now delighted to announce that the sole distributor for the Gastronauts©™ in the UK will be www.stomawise.co.uk - they will be responsible for all UK sales and distribution. Please direct all your enquiries for the Gastronaut©™ puppets in the UK to Stomawise on 01978 355626 or email [email protected] who will be able to help you further.
Stomawise is proving to be the UK’s most successful patient-driven website containing a wealth of information for both patient, carer and the only UK site to provide a special colorectal staff section which has long been vitally needed.
Our choice in Stomawise as sole distributor, reflects the confidence that we show in their future success. We anticipate that it will become the leading home for all ostomates’ questions, worries and concerns and a lot more besides. We cannot recommend them highly enough. The personal stories that Stomawise continues to collect are a tribute, not only to the writers, but also to Stomawise for its ingenuity in presenting them to comfort existing ostomates on their travels through the ostomate world.
The Gastronauts©™ have proved that they have earned a place in helping ostomate children and adults and we will evolve new puppets as the need arise. A new enterostomal puppet with a feeding tube is being developed in the near future and a very special puppet, appealing to the 8-10 age group of ostomates, will soon appear to amuse, entertain and perhaps educate them on how ostomical surgery began.
The Gastronauts puppets are available free of charge to all children in the UK who are undergoing ostomy surgery from Stomawise and can be requested through the Stomawise website by your stoma nurse or Consultant under the Health Care Professional area of the site.
Your choice of puppet can be selected and will be sent directly to their ward/ Hospital to accompany the child throughout their stay in hospital any further treatment providing a friend/buddy in times of trauma.
The Gastronauts are also available free of charge to help young children understand when a parent has undergone ostomy surgery, and can be used as a communication tool, to help explain what has happened to their parent.
When the Gastronauts are delivered they are in a sterile condition and can be given directly to the child.
Additional Gastronauts or if you don’t fall into the above categories can be purchased directly from the Stomawise store by following the link above.
