Embracing Life - Great Comebacks from Ostomy Surgery

Embracing Life, is a follow-up resource to Rolf Benirschke's autobiography, Alive & Kicking, and Great Comebacks from Ostomy Surgery. After reading each of the twelve amazing comeback stories profiled in Embracing Life, anyone going through the struggles of inflammatory bowel disease or facing ostomy surgery will be inspired and encouraged and most importantly will receive hope that they too can have their own personal comeback story.

Former NFL placekicker for the San Diego Chargers, Rolf Benirschke, at the age of 24 and in his second season with the team, was struck with ulcerative colitis and needed life-saving ileostomy surgery. Through the support of his family and friends, his teammates and fans, Rolf made an incredible comeback and was able to play the sport he loved for another seven years. Benirschke played his entire career with the Chargers 1977-86 and received numerous awards including NFL Man of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year and is a member of the Charger Hall of Fame. For over twenty years, Rolf's passion has been to encourage and inspire other patients who have been facing the difficult challenges of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and colon cancer. In 1984 the Great Comebacks Award program was founded and continues to be co-sponsored by ConvaTec and the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Like Rolf, recipients of the annual Great Comebacks Award share their remarkable comeback stories to inspire and encourage other IBD patients.