Everyone was a little confused last week when Selena Gomez posted a selfie in an orange bikini declaring in the caption that it was brave.What's really so brave about that? Is it because orange is totally out this summer and she was committing a fashion faux pas? Or is it just being in a bikini and posting a pic of your body? Neither explanation really warrants giving Sel an official bravery badge.
When former model Bethany Townsend posted her bikini photo, however, there was no denying the incredible courage she was showing. Bethany suffers from Crohn's disease and endured a series of surgeries and various medications to try to get it under control. In 2010, her bowel burst and she had to be fitted with two colostomy bags. As expected, it was quite an adjustment both physically and mentally.
"Finally after three and a half years, I decided that my colostomy bags shouldn't control my life. So when I went to Mexico with my husband in December last year I finally showed I wasn't ashamed," she wrote on the Crohn's and Colitis UK Facebook page, along with the full-body photo.
The pic already has over 200,000 likes and 17,000 shares. Commenters have also been flooding the page, praising Bethany for her bravery and thanking her for putting this picture out there. Many even shared their own photos with their bags proudly on display.
One fellow sufferer's comment, however, really stood out for us. In one simple statement, she captured the essence of the entire thread. "Isn't it amazing that we can have most of our guts removed and still show more 'Guts' than everyone else combined," she wrote.
We couldn't have said it any better ourselves...and yes, it absolutely is.
(h/t People)
