Weston Woman Is Making a Difference for Digestive Disease Patients

BY STACEY BOMSER

LYNN WOLFSON JOKINGLY calls herself the “Bionic Woman.”

Born with Hirschsprung’s disease, a rare genetic disorder where the nerve cells in the intestines do not fully develop, Wolfson has undergone numerous surgeries and had 18 feet of intestines and organs removed. As a result, she is fed intravenously and eliminates through an ostomy, an opening in the abdomen. Despite these challenges, Wolfson is committed to living life to the fullest and helping other people, especially those with digestive diseases like herself.

Lately, she’s been traveling to promote Lynn’s Law, legislation that would require public restrooms to be more accessible to individuals with digestive diseases. She would like to see handicapped stalls equipped with a shelf at a seated level near the toilet to place ostomy and catheterizing supplies and a hook about five feet above the floor to hang medical feeding backpacks.

“Additionally, all handicapped stalls should have a sink and paper towels because ostomies can be messy and catheterizing needs to be a sterile process,” explains Wolfson, who has lived in Weston for more than 25 years. Lynn’s Law also calls for a red sharps container to be placed in all public restrooms (where there are four or more stalls) to safely dispose of used syringes and medical waste.

Her advocacy efforts caught the attention of City Commissioner Chris Eddy. Wolfson credits him with helping facilitate the City of Weston to mandate that all municipal handicapped public restroom stalls provide a hook, shelf, and sink with paper towels to accommodate the needs of residents and guests with medical conditions such as ostomy or catheterization.

From Weston to Washington, D.C.

Wolfson is now on a mission to expand Lynn’s Law from the local level to the state and national stage. She has been working with State Representative Robin Bartleman, of Weston, to introduce this legislation in Tallahassee. Wolfson has also made several trips to our nation’s capital to lobby lawmakers and speak before the Digestive Disease National Coalition and International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Diseases.

In addition to her efforts to advocate for patients and enact Lynn’s Law, Wolfson also serves as founder and president of The Ostomy and Feeding Supply Bank. Friend and fellow Weston resident Dr. Jorge Lopez is the vice president.

The supply bank grew out of a support group Wolfson launched. The South Florida Ostomy and Tube

Feeding/HPN Support Group meets both in-person here in Weston as well as virtually, with members logging in from around the world for informative presentations and discussions.

“When we started the support group five years ago, members would bring their unwanted supplies which would be placed on a table for any other member to take,” explains Wolfson, noting that two national organizations started referring her to people inquiring about how to donate unwanted ostomy and feeding supplies. “At first, I accepted everything that was brought to my home, but quickly ran out of space in my spare bedroom. I contacted LNS Medical, which is an ostomy and catheter supply company, and they offered to pay rent on a warehouse unit. That’s how the Ostomy and Feeding Supply Bank was founded.”

In addition to ostomy supplies and accessories, the Ostomy and Feeding Supply Bank also accepts nutritional formulas for feeding tubes, as well as walkers, canes, wheelchairs, and other medical supplies. Items are given to individuals in need as well as distributed to emergency shelters throughout South Florida for free.

Despite the challenges Wolfson has faced throughout her life, she is determined to make a difference for herself and others with digestive diseases. “There is a quote that one human being can change the world. I want to be that one person!”

To donate medical supplies to the Ostomy and Feeding Supply Bank or to learn more about the South Florida Ostomy and Tube Feeding/HPN Support Groups, please contact Lynn Wolfson at 954-562-7417 (English) or Dr. Jorge Lopez at 954-394-9699 (Spanish). To learn more about Wolfson’s legislative efforts to require better-equipped public restrooms, visit www.lynnslaw.org