My Endo Journey

SURVIVALIST

"Bringing Awareness to Life"

I Have Endometriosis.

My name is Sade and I was first diagnosed with Endometriosis when I was 24 but I had been experiencing the symptoms of the condition three years prior to that so I was 21 when I first developed the symptoms. I was just coming out of my shell and was becoming more confident, I started a new job and then all of a sudden with no warning I began having very heavy Periods and excruciating chronic abdominal pain. 

Endometriosis is a Common yet very Misunderstood Condition that Effects more than 2.1 million women in the UK Alone,Very Little is being Done to minimize the suffering and Pain that women go through with this Condition.

Misdiagnosis is a Major issue which is causing many women to be left to suffer in silence and experience Pain for a Longer Periods of time and in many cases women are left infertile.

My Aim is to Raise funds for Research & Bring Awareness to the front of our communities,especially within BME communities and young girls as they are more likely to ignore symptoms and not seek medical advice.

A Stronger support Network needs to be established to support women/girls and their Families,if Achieved this will contribute to the improved Well Being of many women who suffer.

Here is my Story.....................................................


My moto 'Bringing Awareness to Life' comes from my experiences. The fact that I went through such a traumatic ordeal from being wrongly diagnosed, doctors and nurses not believing me when I told them that I was really suffering from excruciating pain and on many occasions I was ignored and made to feel like I was seeking attention. 

After three and a half years I was finally diagnosed correctly, unfortunately my Consultant who specializes in Gynecology had no information leaflets to give me and was not able to point me into the right direction for support. 

He told me to do a Google search on the internet for information on Endometriosis, that was very scary for me,especially not being advised or guided by professionals. Over the years things didn't improve with my health and I still was not receiving any support from the hospital or my GP so one day I decided that I needed to do something about the lack of awareness in both patient and professionals. That is when my Moto 'Bringing awareness to life' was born it is a double metaphor in its self as Endometriosis needs to be brought to life so it is widely understood and also brought to everyday Life and recognized within the health departments and our communities.  . 

My experience has changed me in so many ways, I look at life from a totally different angle and perspective. Everything from my friendships/relationships, my family life and my career have been affected by Endometriosis I am more aware of what’s going on around me literally.

We go through life day by day but forget how life can change for in you second, it has taught me never to give up and always to be grateful for what i have because there is always someone out there suffering more. I am much stronger because of it! 

The affects of endometriosis spread far and wide in the home,family,relationships and in the work place. It is such a debilitating condition that if not diagnosed in time could lead to infertility, it effects intercourse as it can be very painful and uncomfortable, suffering from mood swings and because it is such a personal subject to many women, many women are ignoring the signs and suffering in silence.

More Black Minority Ethnic women seem to be developing endometriosis more so now than ever and at present the national statistics state that the average age to develop endometriosis is mid to late 20s which I disagree with as I developed the condition at 21 and I have met many other women who have also had it at a much younger age. 

I want to be the voice for women who don't have a voice because at one point in my Journey of endo i couldn't speak up and be heard. A lot more research needs to be done to understand why this condition occurs in woman, and better treatments options need to be developed,better diagnosis and prognosis needs to be adapted and clearer guidelines need to be set out for employers to manage their staff who suffer with endometriosis.

If endometriosis was understood more by the professionals and there was a clearer path for diagnostic measures then maybe things would not have been so hard for me, I don’t want other women to have to go through what I had to endure as it was definitely unnecessary.

My challenges  

I am still facing many challenges today ,I am running this campaign solely on my own at present. It's very difficult to get organisations to listen and to take me seriously. Many times when I contact organisations or companies I don’t even get a response back but I just see this as a challenge because I am so passionate about this cause, nothing will stand in my way,I am so determined to be heard,I am prepared to go to great lengths to get heard. 

The sky cannot be my limit when there is outer space! 

It is my passion and my calling to take on and tackle these pressing issues that myself and many women are going through today, it is so important that we educate the professionals who are our first point of contact. The Media as it stands today are responsible for what we read and watch,these issues need to be regularly written and discussed about. 

The more it is spoken about and heard about the better, much more research needs to be put in place to tackle and understand the cause of endometriosis and better ways to treat women as many women are left to live in constant pain and Suffer in Silence as there is yet no CURE. 

FOLLOW ME AS I ESTABLISH MY ORGANISATION IN AID OF ENDOMETRIOSIS

A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY FORMED TO HELP AND SUPPORT GIRLS AND WOMEN DEAL WITH THE AFFECTS THAT ENDOMETRIOSIS HAS ON THEIR LIVES................................................!

ACENDO

AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS