About Us

This is about to get really personal…

Natalie Mascall’s life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her early 20s. After numerous flare-ups and multiple surgeries, Natalie eventually had the majority of her colon removed and a temporary ileostomy. This is her story:

“Some things in life hit you like a bolt of lightning – out of nowhere and at the worst time possible. At the prime of my life, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. For those unfamiliar with Crohn’s, it’s a bowel disease that causes inflammation of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition.

Researchers aren’t sure how it begins, who is most likely to develop it, or how to best manage it. Despite major treatment advances in the last three decades, no cure is available – yet (insert hopeful emoji here).

It goes without saying that knowing that you will live with a disease for the rest of your life is extremely overwhelming, frustrating, and yes – heart-breaking.

I was lucky that the disease went into remission and for a long time, I was healthy and carefree. That sadly changed after the birth of my second child when Crohn’s reared its ugly head again and I started suffering from debilitating flare-ups, and I had developed two perforations in my colon

I remember many days and nights curled up in a ball in bed, unable to walk or stand up – frozen with pain. Crohn’s is exhausting, literally and figuratively. It’s a tired that’s hard to put into words – as if your body is a balloon and every few minutes someone lets the air out, leaving you feeling completely flat, 24/7.

My Crohn’s became so severe that it began to impact every aspect of my life to the point where my doctor suggested I have a hemicolectomy. A hemi-what, you may ask? Simply put, I had a piece ( my transverse and descending colon removed) of my colon removed. Sadly, there were numerous complications and after my fifth operation, I had had enough. I asked my surgeon to do whatever it took to fix me and that is when I had my first stoma.

I was not ready mentally for this change, and I rushed my doctor for a reversal. Within six months, however, I was back on the operating table having my second stoma.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the idea of a stoma – and yes, for a while I really hated it. It took me some time but I eventually realised that my stoma was actually a gift. I embraced my stoma and even thanked it for helping me feel like me again.  I had spent so many years feeling so sick – but my body had fought to keep me alive, and my stoma bag was a reminder of that. Why should I continue to hate it? Why should I feel ashamed of it?

Once I had done that, nothing was impossible. I felt as if a fire had been ignited within me and I had been given a second chance at life – and I took that chance. In one word, I felt liberated.

While I was back to the old things I always loved doing – travelling, being active (I’ve competed in several triathlon races), making plans, spending time with my kids, and succeeding in the workforce, I encountered a few stumbling blocks.

Ironically, one of the biggest challenges was finding the right underwear. While that may sound a little frivolous when it comes to living with a chronic illness, great fitting nickers really can make you feel like a million bucks, especially when you find a pair designed specifically for ostomy patients.

I started researching different underwear brands that cater to stoma wearers but found most, if not all, were internationally based, and honestly, there were only a handful I felt were really made with stoma users in mind.

There are so many people living in South Africa with ostomies and I thought why not create an underwear range boasting high-quality garments that would give stoma users the freedom and confidence to feel good about themselves and to be able to wear fashionable clothing while being discreet.

And so Vera SA was born.”