My name is Teria, and I’m starting this for my daughter Taylor. Taylor has to travel for an out of state surgery and she needs some help paying for the surgery.

Unfortunately, Taylor had to go part time at work (she is an EMT), which has caused her to lose her benefits including, health care. She couldn't work full time with the pain and nausea she has developed. She will be self-pay with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, hospital, pathology, etc. Her out of pocket cost (with a very large discount) will be $59,500-$76,700 depending on what they find when they do the surgery! This is in addition to travel, food and hotel expenses. This surgery isn't optional. As a 21-year-old caring for her baby only working part time to make ends meet, this isn't going to be easy. We are a family who believes in working hard. We have been blessed to have never had to ask for help before. And as much as I absolutely hate to do this, I’m going to ask for help for her. It breaks my heart watching her in so much pain daily. And she is ready to get her life back!

Taylor has an extensive past health history. She has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome, Oral Allergy Syndrome, and a few other health issues. Now she is struggling with Endometriosis. One thing about Taylor is, she is a fighter and pushes through, no matter what health issues are thrown her way. She changes her life and gets it back on track every time. Unfortunately, this time, the only way to get back on track is through surgery.

About 3 months postpartum she developed crippling pain, nausea, swollen lymph nodes, etc. She was absolutely miserable, working full time and caring for her newborn. She was in and out of the ER and doctor appointments for months. With all the testing coming back as normal. Until the dreaded endometriosis word was brought to her attention. I myself know the misery of endometriosis, as I have dealt with the pain of this horrid disease since I was 12 years old. I had countless local unsuccessful treatments and surgeries. Until I heard about the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, GA! In 2015 I had surgery with the same surgeon she will be having her surgery with. I had a very severe case, stage 4 D.I.E. endometriosis. All of my organs were fused together. I waited too long for surgery and had so many failed surgeries from local surgeons, by the time I got to a true specialist, I had to have bowel & bladder surgery, appendectomy and hysterectomy, etc. all in one surgery. I do not want her to go through the problems I have had to! The longer she waits the worse it will get. It is an aggressive disease that can cause many problems in the future including infertility.

She has had her consultation with the surgeon and he has accepted her case. He is estimating her surgery to be approximately 2-3 hours. She will be having laparoscopic excision of endometriosis/lysis of adhesions, a diagnostic hysteroscopy, cystoscopy with hydrodistension. They will also explore and dissect retroperitoneal and rectovaginal space. There is a possibility of having a chromotubation, appendectomy and bowel resection. After the completion of her surgery, she will remain in the hospital for a minimum of 23 hours and if a bowel resection is completed it will be 3-5 days in the hospital. After hospital discharge she must remain in town for an additional minimum of 72 hours, until released to travel home by the surgeon.

Endometriosis is a whole-body disease. It can attack every organ in the body, including the lungs and brain! It is a serious disease that affects everyone differently. It is also a progressive disease. You can improve the symptoms by taking hormonal treatments, however the disease itself continues to grow and spread. Despite what you may have heard, menopause nor a hysterectomy is a cure. Endometriosis produces its own estrogen, so suppression only suppresses some of the symptoms. And the disease keeps spreading and growing deeper in the organs, muscles, ligaments, etc. Most regular gyns do not know how to recognize nor treat endometriosis correctly. Fun fact - it can present in different colors and shapes. It is very common to have missed disease from a surgeon other than a true endometriosis specialist. The disease continues progressing and becomes more aggressive. 1 in 10 women have endometriosis, with the majority of them undiagnosed. It takes on average 7-10 years to get a diagnosis. Sometimes longer!

Any amount will help Taylor get to have this much needed surgery, please don’t think any amount is too small. She will appreciate it all. All money raised is going to the surgery itself. We appreciate any financial help we can get. If you could share the go fund me that would help as well. Thank you for reading this far!