Yes, it's me again.

Just in case you're new here: my name is Rowan & I have stage IV endometriosis with recurring endometriomas. I've had three surgeries, including two to treat. This may not seem like a lot by comparison to some, but I only received my diagnosis in 2017 after years of experiencing symptoms. One of those surgeries also went from keyhole to spontaneous laparotomy which left me with a vertical incision from my belly button down to the bottom my pelvis & I am still suffering the consequences of that surgery.

Fortunately, I'm under an excellent surgeon now & that surgeon also happens to be my sister's surgeon. Mel has always shown symptoms of endometriosis & after I received my diagnosis she pursued her own even harder, after being dismissed by gynaecologists, she went to see my specialist who then performed a see & treat laparoscopy & she was diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis with endometriomas, "the worst of the worst", just like me.

It's said endometriosis affects one in ten of those born with a uterus, but for us, it's two in ten (yes I know that's not how statistics work but we're trying to market a campaign here.) That statistic is only based on diagnosed cases, there are so many who fall under the radar due to lack of awareness & education surrounding the disease & lack of belief in & compassion towards those who seek help.

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month & myself & my sister, who is fresh out of surgery, by the way, are going to be participating in our own sponsored walk for Endometriosis UK's 1 in 10 challenge. We wanted to aim for at least 210 miles, & it just so happens there's a walkable route near us (that is very easy to maintain social distancing from those outside our household) that would get us up to 250 miles between us from March 1st-March 31st. We will be walking just over 4 miles each (just over 8 miles combined) every day to reach this target & we will be aiming to take our walks together as much as possible & keeping everyone updated on our social media pages.

Edit: due to a number of both personal & professional reasons, we've extended our target 'deadline' to April 30th!

We understand that this past year has been a challenge in itself in so many ways for so many people & it's a difficult time to ask for donations, but we would truly appreciate a donation of any size, even as small as £2.10 (we're really leaning into that number) for Endometriosis UK, who are a fantastic organisation who provide much-needed resources for those seeking diagnosis & treatment as well as running campaigns to fight for structural change within the institutions of education & medicine to fight for better care for people like me & my sister, who campaign for & conduct research & work hard to end the social stigma that leads to people with endometriosis suffering in shame & silence.

Please share this page, donate if you can, thank you either way.

- Rowan & Mel