Continence and
Personal Care
After half a century living a ‘secret
life’, Greg Ryan decided to go public
with his story about a congenital
A secret life
condition called Imperforate Anus, or
Anorectal Malformation, (IA/ARM),
which occurs in one in 5000 births in
western countries.
S
ince publishing his book ‘A
Secret Life – Surviving a Rare
Congenital Condition’ last year,
Greg has connected with thousands
of people around the world and this
year he established the ONE in 5000
Foundation, a non-profit charity to
provide assistance and support for
others with the same condition.
Most people have heard of
Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s
Disease, but most people wouldn’t
have heard of IA/ARM – until now.
“The brutal reality is that 99.99
per cent of the population have never
heard of it,” said Greg Ryan, 54, of
Melbourne.
“With this condition, you have
your surgeries, but can never be
totally repaired...and we have been
pushed to the margins of society
because of the lack of awareness”.
Greg said he wrote his book
because, for over 50 years, the only
people who knew about his condition
were his Mum, Dad and doctor.
“I thought I was the only person in
the world – not even my brother really
knew,” he said.
Greg’s book is a journey through
the trials of secrecy, stigma, social
shame, loneliness … but also of
courage, enlightenment and joy.
“In lay terms, I was born without
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continence and personal care
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