Kintsugi Heroes
Justin Singh · 56 min
After decades of surgeries, bullying, and self-rejection, Justin Singh transformed a lifelong Crohn's disease diagnosis — and a colostomy bag — into his greatest source of confidence, purpose, and joy.
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Justin Singh was one year old when he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Growing up, he didn't know his symptoms were unusual. Spending nearly every year in hospital from age 8 onwards for emergency surgery, isolated and in pain, he had no reference point for what normal looked like. At school, he was teased for his culture and appearance, struggling to keep up while managing a body that felt like it was betraying him. Home meant relief, fresh chips, cartoons, and his mother's care. But the weight of hiding built quietly over time.
For years, Justin tried to be someone he was not. He straightened his curly hair. He masked his disability. He pushed himself hard at work only to get sick, then push again in a cycle that never stopped. The real breaking point came when he realised he was rejecting himself more harshly than anyone else ever could. When he had a colostomy bag at 20, he made a choice: he stopped running. He walked down Bondi Beach shirtless, bag visible, and discovered that the moment he feared most was just ten seconds of someone's attention. The parts of himself he was most ashamed of, his Indian heritage, his disability, his difference, became the parts that drew people to him.
Justin rebuilt his confidence in small steps, deliberately creating positive interactions in shops, writing down those moments as evidence that his story about himself was changing. He learned that disability is not a loss of ability but a loss of control over some things, which meant focusing hard on the one thing he could truly control: his perspective. Today, he sees his Crohn's and his colostomy bag not as curses but as gifts that freed him from the endless chase for career status and possessions. He built a life where he could be genuinely happy without needing to climb anything to earn the right to feel good.
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