Donate for Diana

The few times I manage go to a public event, someone asks me ‘’Oh hey Diana, since when are you back in The Netherlands?’’, only for me to say I never left.

This illustrates some of the struggles resulting from the drastic changes my life has underwent. The isolation as a result from being sick, from not being able to go out because I just need to be in the couch or in bed with a warm bottle and medication.

The disappointments of people not checking on me, or not taking me seriously.

The lack of joy in my life, because I was not capable of enjoying, let alone making, art.

Pain takes up so much space.

It has been almost two years now of pain, research, medical appointments, being told that the pain is normal for being a woman. Then, more pain, fatigue, more medical appointments and again, more research.

A seemingly never-ending cycle that has left me exhausted, desperate and frustrated, having to fight for myself to be heard while being sick and not having a diagnosis.

Along this road I found a specialist surgeon in London, which finally felt like I found someone who could help me, who took me seriously and was qualified to do the surgery required. It was clear that one way or another, I had to find a way to get his help.

Help to try to get some of my life back.

Navigating the Dutch healthcare system and insurances, as an immigrant, was incredibly difficult, but I managed to find the strength and means to go to London and have a surgery to get a diagnosis and remove my endometriosis tissue.

It has been two months now since the surgery, and the procedure went well.

It is difficult to be optimistic, since many people need another surgery in a few years, as it is a chronic disease.

However, this is the moment for hope. Hope for a better quality of life, less pain, less surviving and more living.

I am still in pain every day, but the pain has a different weight knowing that I am in the process of recovering from surgery.

The sense of desperation has decreased and instead there is a sense of hope, which makes it more bearable to handle this suffering post-surgery. It helps to remember myself when I see my scars that there are positives, that they represent more than my disease.

They represent healing.

They represent that I was courageous to go abroad and have a surgery (I never had one before)

They represent that I took care of myself.

This is where I would like to ask your help. Help to take care of myself.

I have not been able to work and as you can imagine the costs of going to London for a consultation and a surgery and staying for the initial recovery were very high.

This has left me without any money, in fact it has left me in debt with my landlord.

It does not stop there, as my post-surgery recovery requires me to have a monthly session with an osteopath to help with abdominal adhesions and scar tissue.

I also have not been able to see my therapist (that I have relied on for more than 2 years) because I needed to change health insurance to have the surgery abroad, leaving me without coverage for my therapist. This is kind of exactly the period in life I need her by my side!!

Simple things like going somewhere have become complicated, as I am with pain every day and it can escalate very suddenly, leaving me with a need to get home without having money to call an uber. This makes me stay home much more frequently.

Not being able to have these therapies and move around harms my chances of getting a better quality of life. Not having money for these things or for anything else makes me feel sad, especially as I live in a wealthy country where I see everyone living luxurious lives. My debt gives me stress and sleepless nights, and all of this prevents me from having a healthy recovery.

The funds raised with your donations will go to cover the costs I already had in London, so I can pay my rent arrears. They will help me recover by paying for my transportation and consultations with my osteopath, my sessions with my therapist, and have a warm home.

Finally, I would like to share the following. The week before the surgery I was watching a documentary about Monte Pico in The Azores, and it lit a small flame of hope and ambition inside me, that after my recovery I could climb this volcano. At the moment, both physically and financially, this dream couldn’t be further away. But a girl can dream! So if the unimaginable happens and this fundraiser goes beyond its’ target, I would use your donations to prepare and go to The Azores to climb Monte Pico.

These are some milestones I would love for the fundraiser to achieve:

Consultation stay + transport = 500,-

A year of osteopath + transport = 1050,-

Surgery stay + transport = 2000,-

A year of therapy = 3900,-

Total Target = 7500

Here are some examples of what your donations could achieve for me:

A donation of 5,- helps pay my energy bill, allowing me to be a bit warmer in my house, using an electric blanket.

A donation of 10,- helps me to take an Uber to go somewhere when I’m tired/struggling to move myself.

A donation of 15,- pays for my leggings that don’t hurt my back and keep me warm (in this Dutch climate).

A donation of 20,- gets me a meal delivered at home when there is no time or space for a cooked meal.

A donation of 25,- pays for me to get a train to my osteopath and back.

Two donations of 37.50,- would make me able to see my therapist again.

A donation of 50,- would allow me to get a warm blanket for the hours I need to waste/spend in the couch. It would also go a long way towards paying for my transportation costs for the consultation and surgery.

A donation of 75,- would cover a session with my osteopath.

A donation of 100,- pays for one night in the Airbnb I stayed after the surgery.

Please share my story with your people, through social media or text or by talking.

I will continue to update this page regularly.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read, share and donate.

All the love,

Diana <3