Hi, my name is Erin Beattie. I'm starting this fund for my roommate and dear friend Emeryth Meyers, who is getting a hysterectomy, endometriosis extraction & cyst removal surgery September 14th!

 

As Emery's community & friends, we hope to raise enough funds to cover ~2 months of Emery's living costs, so they can take ample time off work in the service industry and care for their body. Their job requires lots of lifting and movement & Emery also will be moving to live in more affordable housing September 1st. We would love for Emery to go into this surgery knowing they are able to rest & recover without extra financial strain ❤️

Any additional funds raised will be directed towards Emery's medical bills & moving costs. Thanks in advance for donating and/or sharing! Every bit helps!

 

Here's a note from Emery so you can get to know them/their story/ journey living with endometriosis & also to learn a bit about where these funds will be directed! 

Hello! My name is Emery ( they/ them/ theirs).

 

 (Image description: Emery lays with their dog Nova on the shores of little lava lake with forest and mountains in the background) 

 

Im a non-binary queer who moved to Portland in September of 2021 from Minneapolis. I’m a bartender / food service worker and a dog parent to a beautiful 7 (almost 8!) year old cattle dog, Nova.

 

I’ve lived with chronic illnesses my entire life, the most predominant being dysautonomia, which affects my parasympathetic nervous system. 

However, in the past 3 years, I have severely struggled with endometriosis and ovarian cysts. Which is why after years of seeking treatment around -- including an emergency surgery in September 2020 -- I will be getting a hysterectomy.

 

Long story short, in September 2020, I woke up in the middle of the nights, dry heaving and fainting from the pain I was experiencing from my cramps. I went into the ER and had an emergency surgery to remove 2 large cysts on both of my ovaries.

 

During the surgery, they found my entire abdomen lined with endometriosis tissue, which likely caused the majority of the pain, discomfort, and heavy bleeding I'd experienced for years around my menstruation cycle.

 

I recovered well after this surgery, but my medical team was concerned about how much endometriosis tissue I had in my abdomen. Doctors may recommend a hysterectomy for people whose symptoms don’t go away despite other treatments and who don’t plan to have children down the road.

 

My surgeon advised me to get on a progesterone-based IUD and progesterone birth control pills following my first emergency but urged me to consider a second surgery to remove whatever endometrial tissue they could find. This surgery would hopefully relieve my symptoms for a few years, as endometriosis only continues to grow-- unfortunately, there’s no stopping it completely & I will likely be managing it my whole life. 

For that reason, I was apprehensive at first when considering another surgery. I wanted to see how I would feel in recovering from the first procedure so I could gauge if it would give me enough of the relief that I was looking for. If not, I wanted to be able to  take the time and necessary steps to secure clearance & security to recover from this second surgery.

 

We decided to give it some time and revisit it when I had more questions or concerns.

I moved to Portland with Nova in September 2021. While taking time to settle in, finding employment, connecting with a healthcare team here, I continued to check in with my surgeon and clinical team in Minneapolis to support this transition.

 

In April of 2021, I went to planned parenthood for my annual exam. During the exam, the physician said that they could feel a small lump from the inside of my pelvis. They suggested I go back to my surgeon, who was also my acting OBGYN.

 

After some scans and ultrasounds, they found a 3 cm cyst on my left ovary. They gave me the option to see if it would heal itself over the coming months, or if I wanted to have another surgery to remove it and complete a hysterectomy as well as endometriosis extraction.

 

After months of growing pain and several appointments, I finally was able to get scheduled and will be getting my surgery on September 14th.

 

Because I work as a server/bartender, I am anticipating that my recovery time may be up to (and potentially beyond) 8 weeks before I'm able to get back to work full time. 

Medical costs aside -- it would be of immense help for me to be able to pay my bills and take necessary time off work/my feet so I may fully recover and care for my body & for Nova. 

 

I'm so grateful to everyone who may be able to support me in any way through this process. I am celebrating the opportunity to access this life-changing reproductive care & am ecstatic it will actually be made possible with your help ❤️

 

-- Emery