Hope Over All
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Hope Over All - Picture of an Endometriosis Survivor
Hello, my name is Amina Rausch and I have Endometriosis. I was diagnosed after such a long ordeal in 2002. This diagnosis was proceeded by 9 excruciating years of agony and pain with little relief and no diagnosis, let alone a cure. I met many doctors who told me I was crazy and that it was all in my head. They said bad cramps were normal and I just needed to find a way to deal with it. I was consistently dismissed and ignored by the people from whom I needed to help me the most. It was a long, tough road... At times I wasn't sure I was going to make it...
I had my first diagnostic laparoscopic surgery in 2003. This surgery was designed to look inside and see if anything was going on that couldn't be seen on any scans (ultrasound, CT, sonogram etc). This surgery revealed that endometriosis was all over and in my body. Little did I know, this would be the first of 8+ surgeries and we're still counting. We're hoping and praying that surgery number 9 will be here in Texas soon, in hopes that I might get some considerable pain relief and some quality of life back. Surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment of Endometriosis as there is no cure and Endometriosis had such a high rate of recurrence.
Some of you may be aware of what endometriosis actually is, and what we women deal with on a daily basis. Yet somehow we still manage to pull it together, almost everyday, and put a smile on our faces! Here is some introductory information for those of you that might need or want to know more about the disease itself.
"Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus (endometrial implant). Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond your pelvic region." - The Mayo Clinic
Endometriosis is an awful disease that effects millions of women in different ways. For me, endometriosis is a thief and it has robbed me of so much. It has taken away my ability to conceive, carry and give birth to a child, it's taken away my enjoyment of and my ability to work. More specifically, my work mentoring young men & women of color in low-income neighborhoods. These are the things that give me great joy and purpose in life! But now, I am simply unable.
Finally, it's taken away my freedom as an adult woman and put me in a space of dependency. I need assistance with just about everything. I am completely dependent on my loved ones around me because I am unable to take care of myself in many ways. Being in pain every minute of everyday can change you. What a challenge to overcome everyday, from the moment you open your eyes...
One of the toughest things I've had to experience, has been watching my loved ones around. They love me so dearly and take great care of me with such love and humility. They've had to helplessly watch as I suffer everyday with this disease. It breaks my heart to see them hurting because of me...
I've lost many close friends as well over the years. Whether it was because I wasn't dependable enough, or I canceled plans all the time, or maybe I couldn't make a wedding or a baby shower, or maybe I was in too much pain to even answer a phone call or a text, or maybe I just was not feeling well enough to hang out. Some thought I was lazy, lying, drug-seeking, etc. Whatever the case may have been, ignorance of my disease caused the demise of many different relationships. They simply didn't understand my disease. But those who have stuck with me and been there for it all, I am so humble and grateful for your perseverance. You've all given me the strength to keep fighting one more day.
But I ask you one question, what woman, whose dreamed of having a child and being a mother her whole life, chooses to have a full/total complete hysterectomy at 31 years young just so she could have a chance at living a life without chronic pain? No one chooses this disease, it chooses us. And sometimes endometriosis makes the choice for us.
I could go on and on for pages about the "side-effects" of endometriosis and how millions of women are out here suffering daily. We #endosisters suffer physically, emotionally, spiritually etc. Yet we stand together hoping and praying that someone will find a cure so that we can have our lives back. However right now, the only treatment for this disease is pain management and/or surgery every 1-3 years for pain relief. For pain management, many of women take high-powered painkillers daily just to be able to function somewhat normally so we can have some form of a normal life. Confession: When asked, I ALWAYS tell people that I feel better than I actually do. Why? Most of them couldn't understand even if they tried...
I don't want pity or attention. I consider myself a private person so this campaign is hard for me. I'm allowing you all in to a small, sacred, tried and true place that only GOD and I share.
Endometriosis has no cure and it continues to return fiercely after treatment. Because of its persistence, I need another surgery as soon as possible because the pain has become unbearable. So here are the details: My surgery has been scheduled for Friday, February 5th, 2016 first thing in the morning at 7:00 AM at Forest Park Medical Center in Frisco, TX. Dr. Frank Dulemba, an Endometriosis specialist, will be performing the operation. He's previously operated on me twice already in the last year. He's truly been a Godsent to me and I'm grateful to God for having our paths cross. The cost I am responsible for is just above $6000 and that is why I am asking for your partnership in this journey.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments. I'd love to talk with you all on an individual basis if you'd care to do so. Thank you for your kindness and compassion in even just taking the time to read this. I assure you that this comes straight from my heart. May God bless you are yours forever and always!
Thank you,
Amina Rausch
Hello, my name is Amina Rausch and I have Endometriosis. I was diagnosed after such a long ordeal in 2002. This diagnosis was proceeded by 9 excruciating years of agony and pain with little relief and no diagnosis, let alone a cure. I met many doctors who told me I was crazy and that it was all in my head. They said bad cramps were normal and I just needed to find a way to deal with it. I was consistently dismissed and ignored by the people from whom I needed to help me the most. It was a long, tough road... At times I wasn't sure I was going to make it...
I had my first diagnostic laparoscopic surgery in 2003. This surgery was designed to look inside and see if anything was going on that couldn't be seen on any scans (ultrasound, CT, sonogram etc). This surgery revealed that endometriosis was all over and in my body. Little did I know, this would be the first of 8+ surgeries and we're still counting. We're hoping and praying that surgery number 9 will be here in Texas soon, in hopes that I might get some considerable pain relief and some quality of life back. Surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment of Endometriosis as there is no cure and Endometriosis had such a high rate of recurrence.
Some of you may be aware of what endometriosis actually is, and what we women deal with on a daily basis. Yet somehow we still manage to pull it together, almost everyday, and put a smile on our faces! Here is some introductory information for those of you that might need or want to know more about the disease itself.
"Endometriosis (en-doe-me-tree-O-sis) is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus (endometrial implant). Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond your pelvic region." - The Mayo Clinic
Endometriosis is an awful disease that effects millions of women in different ways. For me, endometriosis is a thief and it has robbed me of so much. It has taken away my ability to conceive, carry and give birth to a child, it's taken away my enjoyment of and my ability to work. More specifically, my work mentoring young men & women of color in low-income neighborhoods. These are the things that give me great joy and purpose in life! But now, I am simply unable.
Finally, it's taken away my freedom as an adult woman and put me in a space of dependency. I need assistance with just about everything. I am completely dependent on my loved ones around me because I am unable to take care of myself in many ways. Being in pain every minute of everyday can change you. What a challenge to overcome everyday, from the moment you open your eyes...
One of the toughest things I've had to experience, has been watching my loved ones around. They love me so dearly and take great care of me with such love and humility. They've had to helplessly watch as I suffer everyday with this disease. It breaks my heart to see them hurting because of me...
I've lost many close friends as well over the years. Whether it was because I wasn't dependable enough, or I canceled plans all the time, or maybe I couldn't make a wedding or a baby shower, or maybe I was in too much pain to even answer a phone call or a text, or maybe I just was not feeling well enough to hang out. Some thought I was lazy, lying, drug-seeking, etc. Whatever the case may have been, ignorance of my disease caused the demise of many different relationships. They simply didn't understand my disease. But those who have stuck with me and been there for it all, I am so humble and grateful for your perseverance. You've all given me the strength to keep fighting one more day.
But I ask you one question, what woman, whose dreamed of having a child and being a mother her whole life, chooses to have a full/total complete hysterectomy at 31 years young just so she could have a chance at living a life without chronic pain? No one chooses this disease, it chooses us. And sometimes endometriosis makes the choice for us.
I could go on and on for pages about the "side-effects" of endometriosis and how millions of women are out here suffering daily. We #endosisters suffer physically, emotionally, spiritually etc. Yet we stand together hoping and praying that someone will find a cure so that we can have our lives back. However right now, the only treatment for this disease is pain management and/or surgery every 1-3 years for pain relief. For pain management, many of women take high-powered painkillers daily just to be able to function somewhat normally so we can have some form of a normal life. Confession: When asked, I ALWAYS tell people that I feel better than I actually do. Why? Most of them couldn't understand even if they tried...
I don't want pity or attention. I consider myself a private person so this campaign is hard for me. I'm allowing you all in to a small, sacred, tried and true place that only GOD and I share.
Endometriosis has no cure and it continues to return fiercely after treatment. Because of its persistence, I need another surgery as soon as possible because the pain has become unbearable. So here are the details: My surgery has been scheduled for Friday, February 5th, 2016 first thing in the morning at 7:00 AM at Forest Park Medical Center in Frisco, TX. Dr. Frank Dulemba, an Endometriosis specialist, will be performing the operation. He's previously operated on me twice already in the last year. He's truly been a Godsent to me and I'm grateful to God for having our paths cross. The cost I am responsible for is just above $6000 and that is why I am asking for your partnership in this journey.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments. I'd love to talk with you all on an individual basis if you'd care to do so. Thank you for your kindness and compassion in even just taking the time to read this. I assure you that this comes straight from my heart. May God bless you are yours forever and always!
Thank you,
Amina Rausch
Organizer and beneficiary
Amina Rausch
Organizer
Fort Worth, TX
Carlyn Prince
Beneficiary