Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In February 2018 I had surgery to remove endometriosis for the second time. At the point the above picture was taken, I felt broken and disheartened as the endometriosis had come back harder and stronger; but I also felt hope that this operation would change my life for the better.

It took me 4 years to get doctors to take me seriously and eventually recognise that the disease had come back. During this time I have suffered severe pain, fatigue, swelling and many other de-habilitating symptoms on a daily basis, and as a result of the prolonged diagnosis, there were larger amounts of the disease and in more places than the first surgery. But I am lucky. The average diagnosis time for the condition is 7.5 years, and many of the 1 in 10 women who have it suffer for much longer than I did. There is no cure for the condition and unfortunately, there's an extremely high chance it will come back so I need continued treatment and can expect further surgeries throughout my life.

My second recovery period gave me a lot of time to reflect and realise that although it's difficult to broadcast personal issues, if I talk about the condition and my journey, maybe I can help to raise awareness. So, on June 24th, Rhys and I will take on Swansea Half Marathon. We'd like to use this event to raise awareness, and hopefully a few pounds to help support the charity that supported me - Endometriosis UK.

If you could spare even a single pound to donate to this cause and I can use it to help even one woman like me get diagnosed and treated quicker through doing this then all my struggles will be worth it.

Thanks and love,

Natalie x