Help Ashleigh Receive Surgery for Debilitating Endometriosis

Hi, my Name is Ashley Hardick and I am Ashleigh's sister in law. The purpose of this GoFund Me is to raise money for Ashleigh to receive surgical treatment for her Stage IV Endometriosis. After being wait-listed for over 4 years just to get in to see an Endo specialist in Calgary, Ashleigh's symptoms have become too debilitating to wait any longer. She is hoping to seek life changing surgical aid in Bucharest Romania under the care of Dr. Mitroi, one of the world's leading Endo specialists.

I am incredibly grateful to anyone who takes the time to read the entirety of my message, and to anyone who is able to donate or share so it can reach more people. If you know Ashleigh's story and the incredible person she is, it is worth reading every part of what she experiences on a daily basis.

Endometriosis is a horrible disease from which there is little reprieve. When you have Endo, tissue similar to the uterine lining (endometrium) grows outside the uterus, often on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic tissues. This misplaced tissue can cause pain, heavy periods, and infertility. In Ashleigh's case, she has experienced all of the above and much, much more. Endometriosis is classified in stages, and Ashleigh's has progressed to the most severe stage. She experiences nearly every symptom Endo has to offer, including those that are most rare and uncommon.

Ashleigh and her husband Taylor spent 10 years battling infertility due to this disease. After enduring countless hormonal treatments, suffering numerous pregnancy losses, and undergoing a myriad of invasive procedures, they were finally blessed with their first son, Liam, in 2018. In 2020 they were blessed with twins, Noah and Jayde, completing their family. Although her trial with infertility was finally concluded, her endometriosis symptoms began to worsen exponentially.

Since the birth of her twins, Ashleigh's health has been on a downwards slope. She has experienced debilitating period pain since her adolescence, but her symptoms have greatly worsened in the last several years.

One of the most difficult parts of having Endometriosis is the lack of care for those who suffer from it. There is no cure for Endo, and women who suffer from it are very often gaslit and dismissed by medical professionals. It is a disease that can only be diagnosed surgically, which was the case for Ashleigh in her youth. She has undergone multiple laparoscopic surgeries to burn the lesions off of her reproductive organs, but the Endo will inevitably grow back. She has reached the point where medical professionals no longer advise laparoscopic procedures.

Among her debilitating symptoms is severe burning pain spread throughout her entire abdomen. This pain worsens with movement and has made day to day life very difficult and unpleasant. For many with earlier stages of Endo, their symptoms are isolated to the week of their period. Ashleigh's has progressed to the point where her daily life is severely impacted by countless painful symptoms. In Ashleigh's case, her Endo has not just infiltrated her reproductive organs, but it as also attacked her bladder, bowel, stomach, pancreas and more. The full extent of its infiltration can only be revealed surgically, but many of her symptoms suggest it has also infiltrated her diaphragm.

She experiences symptoms of chronic bladder infection, constant nausea with no reprieve, digestive issues, periods of intense and painful abdominal bloating, extremely heavy periods with excessive bleeding that has led to anemia. We suspect her endo has more recently affected her pancreas and has caused frequent bouts of rapidly onset nausea and vomiting. The symptoms she experiences day to day are symptoms that would cause any healthy person to call in to work, and at best shrivel up in bed, if not seek immediate medical attention. For Ashleigh, seeking medical aid is met with shrugged shoulders and "it's just your Endo". She lives every day like anyone else's worst sick day. Another very difficult symptom of Endo is extreme fatigue. Between her intense pain and feeling drained of energy regardless of sleep or rest, Endometriosis is stealing the life from her that she has fought so hard for. There is no reprieve from these symptoms and this illness. Her only hope is to seek medical care by professionals who understand how to help women with deep Endometriosis and have the technology and skill to surgically rid her of it for good.

Dr. Mitroi is based at the Bucharest Endometriosis Center in Romania. He and his team of skilled professionals and advanced robotic technology have the ability to surgically remove her uterus and every single microscopic fibre of Endo from all of Ashleigh's internal organs. While she could elect to receive a standard hysterectomy in Canada, the doctors here do not posses even a fraction of the skill and technology needed to remove all of it. If any endometrium tissue is left in her body, it will slowly spread and continue to plague her. In Ashleigh's case, the extent of her Endo's reach has surpassed what our medical system knows how to handle.

For those of you who know Ashleigh personally, I know what you are thinking. "Wow, I had no idea she lives like this every day". Ashleigh is someone who bears her burdens very well, hides her pain and never wants to burden someone else or complain. Despite her own incredibly challenging life, she is the first person to offer help to those who need and will give the shirt off her back, even if it means she freezes to death herself. She has a deep love for "her people" and is incredibly generous to absolutely anyone she comes in contact with. When discussing how they will manage to fund this extremely necessary procedure, Ashleigh warned me that if anyone started a GoFund Me, relationships would end. Consider this website as an official resignation as her sister in-law. She absolutely does not want to ask for help and burden anyone else, so I'm going to do it on her behalf. I will forfeit the friendship of a lifetime if it means Ashleigh is finally able to enjoy the life she fought incredibly hard for. Her time with her sons and daughter as young children is limited, and she deserves to be able to participate to the fullest and enjoy this precious time with them after years of fighting to bring them into this world.

If you are able, even the smallest donation will help this surgery become accessible to Ashleigh. The expected total cost of her surgery and travel expenses exceeds $30,000 CAD. If you are not able, I am so grateful that you took the time to read her story and learn about the ways Endometriosis has affected her and countless other women. Please consider sharing this link so that others can help Ashleigh. Ashleigh is incredibly hard working, but her symptoms have severely limited her ability to do the work that she loves and save the money necessary to travel overseas and receive the help she desperately needs. Any contribution is so appreciated beyond words. Thank you,

-Ashley, her former best friend/ sister in law