Meet Manda York | Current Ostomate & Founder of Scarred Beautifully LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Manda York and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Manda, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success of Scarred Beautifully LLC is support and compassion. When an individual faces the life-altering challenge of living life with a colostomy/ileostomy they feel frightened and uncertain of their future. I am the founder of the company and faced the uncertain future of living with an ileostomy at age twenty-seven feeling very frightened and alone. Knowing firsthand how a sudden physical disability can drastically alter the way one sees oneself can leave a person desperately seeking comfort and support from another who truly understands. Scarred Beautifully offers just that in a hands-on way by physically being present to assist the ostomate through the process of learning to live with an ostomy. The company provides support by educating, teaching, and providing emotional support through a turbulent time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I knew at a young age I wanted to be someone others could depend on and stand out in a crowd. When I was fifteen years old I began working for a banking institution bundling food stamps. By age twenty-six I had managed to work my way up the ladder in banking and proudly became the youngest manager in the Home Equity Division of Wells Fargo in Phoenix, AZ. I had even been chosen as employee of the year in 2002 for Wells Fargo Bank in Arizona. I had everything going for me and was hopeful my dreams were coming true! The following year I fell ill with Crohn’s Disease and began a long painful road I never thought I would face. I spent the next ten years feeling lost and purposeless plagued with illness and loss, ashamed of what I had become at no fault of my own. In 2018 I decided that I was the only one who had the power to change the way I saw myself and the purpose my life served. I just knew I could not be alone in challenges a life-altering physical disability affected my self-worth and I wondered how differently my life could have been had I just had the support of someone to be at my side who understood what I was going through. That is what inspired me to go back to school and begin working towards my bachelor’s in psychology and start my company. I dream that Scarred Beautifully will provide personal one-on-one support to ostomates by educating them on ways to cope with living with an ostomy and providing emotional support through compassion and understanding. The end goal of the company is to provide clothing, products, tips, and counseling in the future to ostomates everywhere.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Arizona is a wonderful place to visit! The itinerary I would prepare would include Sedona, Jerome, Bisbee, and definitely the Grand Canyon! The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest are a few other places I would enjoy visiting with my friends. I honestly am not too familiar with dining places, but I would take them to wine tastings and lots of specialty food restaurants. Arizona is known for lots of great Mexican dining and I would be interested in trying anything unique to the area we are at during our visit.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest recognition and credit to Scarred Beautifully becoming more than just a dream is my family. There have been many years of hurt, fear, and uncertainties in living with Crohn’s Disease, which is the reason I ended up facing life at a young age with an ileostomy. I have undergone ten intestinal operations since October of 2004 leaving me with only four feet of small intestine out of the normal twenty-five feet of small and large intestines. During those years many people have exited my life because it is easier to turn away from sadness and despair rather than supporting someone through those difficult phases in their life. My family continued to show me that love, compassion, and support were what I needed more than anything to push through those hard times I was facing. They encouraged me and reminded me that even though I was physically different than others I could still be anything I dreamed of being in my life. My family showed me that what they gave and still give to me is what I desire to provide to others facing this same physical disability I do.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-york-09324b111

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beautifulagain1979/

Other: The Better Business Bureau is currently preparing a website for Scarred Beautifully. Stories of Hope on Spotify did a Podcast on Scarred Beautifully LLC and my story.