My Story.....

My name is Jennifer Carless, I’m 17 years old. A teenager taking my A Levels and starting university in September to study Bio medicine. I am also the first ever Miss England WASUP Queen award winner, Miss North Yorkshire Charity Queen and the Chief International Ambassador for WASUP for over 40 countries worldwide.

My aim in life is to make a difference and I have recently returned from Pakistan from a humanitarian project where I worked as a student alongside an amazing worldwide medical team from OPSA in addition to educating 1000’s of children on the dangers of single use plastics, opening water filtration plants in a village called Sooklan and was fundamental in the awareness for free cleft lip operations in Pakistan, amongst many other opportunities in the incredible 10 days life changing trip.

Sadly for me this February, my life changed literally over night. I woke up one morning to go to college, but devastatingly that day my bladder stayed asleep and has never woken up since.

Emergency treatment in hospital could not get my bladder to wake up and over 1000ml of urine had to be drained from my bladder via a urethral catheter, which had to be inserted by an expert after a number of failed attempts.

Three months later, following numerous hospital stays and visits, despite the help from some amazing experts and nurses I have a long term catheter in place and it is now feared I may have Fowlers syndrome. Fowler's syndrome commonly affects young women from their early 20-30s. It is a rare disorder in which the urethral sphincter fails to relax to allow urine to be passed. The research for treatment for this condition is severely underfunded and so there are not many treatment options available at this time.

I am presently awaiting urgent investigations, imminent operations in the next few weeks and to be placed on a waiting list which I am told could be up to 3 years before I may have surgery which will hopefully help my bladder to start working again, the dream.

Life for me overnight has literally changed, something no one should have to go through, but at 17 years about to embark on such a big part of my life is devastating. There is very little knowledge around my present condition and research is desperately needed to help others, it is so undignified, but I am determined this is not going to define my life, in fact I refuse to let it! Not only that, I want to open awareness about what I am going through, so to help others going through this very rare and debilitating condition that affects so many young woman, suffering in silence.

I also have so much more to give with my charity work, medical studies and research and so am asking if you could support me to help with upcoming operations and investigations soon rather than having to wait over 3 years on the waiting list.

Please help me to not let this cruel, humiliating and undignified condition define my life, so I may continue to do what I love most, which is to help others.

Thank you.

Jen

Jennifer Carless