What if I constantly have to gulp?

Hi. My name is Sarah, and we have
something in common – we both have to
use a catheter. A catheter is a small tube
that goes through your urethra to your
bladder so you can pee. (My Mom is always
telling me, “Sarah, say urinate,” but peeing
is peeing, right?)

Wait! Let’s stop here for a minute. We’re
already using big words like “urethra,” and
before we go any further, you need to
know what these words mean. So take a
look at the box on the left, and you’ll
know what I’m talking about.

So now you know what catheter, urethra, bladder and other important words
mean. Cool.

Before I tell you more, I know a lot of kids feel sad or scared about using a
catheter. I felt like that when I started too. But if you read this book, talk to your
doctor and use a catheter for a few days, then you’ll feel much better about it.
Honest. You can also color the pictures in this book, and have fun with it.

I enjoy being outside, listening to music, and reading a
good story. It’s fun to play a game of fetch with my dog
Sadie, and I love to play soccer. I have a brother Sam.
We get along most of the time, and we spend time
practicing soccer together. (You may have noticed all
of our names begin with “S.” My Mom – Susan, of
course – says that’s because “S” stands for “Super!”)

OK, enough about me. But I want you to
know that I use a catheter, and I do
all these things and more!

I’ll be honest – when I first started peeing with a catheter, I didn’t like it. It
felt kind of awkward and took a few days to get used to.

Now, I don’t mind, and I really like that I can go anywhere! I mean, now I can
go to school, out to play, to the store, just about anywhere. And I also mean
that I can pee almost anywhere, thanks to my catheter kit, which means I’m
able to go everywhere! Feeling this way gives you so much more confidence
and independence.