COMPANION MAGAZINE: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
By Brooke Bogdan EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @BRKLYNBOUNCER
Since we debuted in October of last year, we have received requests for hard copies of our magazine. I started this magazine with the intention of it being a support system for those who were experiencing what I was. I had just had my colon removed, was recovering from major surgery and a horrible disease. I felt alone, confused and like my ostomy was the end of my world. What I didn’t know was that starting Companion Magazine was the best help I could not only give to others, but to myself. I met our graphic designer, Kristin, over twitter when I had posted something about having my colon removed. We were both so alike; 24 year old women who felt like their worlds were spinning out of control because of IBD. We connected immediately on so many levels and though she lives in Alabama and I in Ohio we talk every single day and know every detail about each other’s lives. I shared my idea of starting this magazine with her because I knew she also held the same passion as I for helping others and learning more about our disease and our ostomies through a positive support system. It was tough for both of us to find blogs, articles or stories that we understood, that were positive and that helped prove that IBD doesn’t have to mean you don’t live your life. We pulled our ideas together and created Companion Magazine for IBD. Since our first post date in December of 2013, right before my second surgery, we have had over 25,000 views worldwide. Kristin and I have spoken with people from all over the world who suffer with IBD. We grew our editorial staff to include Gaylyn, Emma and Rasheed, who have all proven to be extremely inspiring, kind people in the world of IBD. We also accept contributors for each issue and never have a shortage of bravery in our writers and staff. The 5 of us have worked hard spreading awareness about Companion Magazine through social media and through our hospitals, doctors and peers. What we have realized is that there are more of our readers who would love to be able to hold our magazine in their hands. The moment I knew Companion was ready for print, was just after my third surgery when an ostomy nurse whom I had never met before came into my hospital room. She told me that she wanted me to know that she had just shared Companion Magazine with one of her patients, a young girl who was scared and felt alone because of her upcoming total colectomy. The nurse told me that she handed that young girl a hard copy of our first issue of Companion and her face lit up. Creating this magazine and bringing encouragement to those of you who need it most is what Companion Magazine is all about. We will still have articles and stories online, just not full issues anymore. We are accepting advertisement and sponsorship opportunities from any and every one. Our packages are customizable, we are completely open to suggestions and do encourage them. If you or someone you know would be interested in advertising with Companion Magazine, please have them contact us at companionibd@gmail.com. To start, we will have a large quantity of issues printed and placed in willing doctors’ offices, hospitals, non-profits and anywhere else that Companion Magazine might have an impact. Subscription basis will come later when we have more of an understanding of where our readership lies. Orders for specific hard issues will be made available through our website and pricing will depend on the cost to print. We hope that you will help us to spread the word about Companion Magazine moving to print. We want to continue to make this magazine the best that it can possibly be and we couldn’t do that without your opinion or suggestions. We are hoping to have the first hard copy of Companion available for this upcoming fall. Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns or any kind of comment, as long as it is positive!
9