To Summarize:

My name is Bryan Black, I’m here to tell you about my wife, Andie. Andie is a beautiful woman that has gotten dealt a bad hand with her health. She has had a long battle with Stage IV endometriosis and other disorders which affect her reproductive and autoimmune systems. After a recent emergency surgery that took one of her ovaries, the remaining ovary is rapidly declining. She needs to start treatment immediately to suppress production of cysts and adhesions and save her ovary. The treatment is not being covered by insurance yet, and while we are trying to find coverage, the urgency to begin treatment is pressing and outside of what we can cover on our own.

   We understand that many of you are going through your own struggles. I would ask that even if you are not in a place to give, if could you please share this campaign with others. The more folks we can reach the better her chances. Once Andie is back on her required treatment she should start to stabilize.

I’ve put everything we have into this, and now am turning to the community of those who know and love Andie. Even if you’ve never met her, if her story speaks to you, please help or share. A thousand thanks to all of you. I hope to be able to pay it forward in your time of need the way you can help our family now.

The Full Story:

Endometriosis is a disease that causes endometrial tissue to grow outside of the reproductive organs. It causes autoimmune symptoms, frequent pain, internal bleeding, along with a host of other awful symptoms that are fiercely underrepresented. While 1 in 10 women have some degree of endometriosis, experiences with it can vary. For some it is mild and manifests as more painful menstrual cramps. The later stages of endo experience massive impacts on their health and lives, it can be devastating. While it can carry a burden for anyone no matter what stage or how they’ve been affected, it is agreed among most who suffer from it that it is not well represented in the media and in the medical community. My wife, Andie has battled the symptoms of stage IV endometriosis, adenomyosis, dyspareunia, spastic pelvic floor syndrome, chronic pain, uterine fibroids and frequent cysts her entire adolescent and adult life. She has adhesions that bleed internally and have caused some of her organs to adhere to each other and the walls of her abdomen. She’s spent years of her life where more of her time was in the hospital than at home. She’s had hormone treatments in the dozens, all of which exacerbated her symptoms or did not even touch them. She’s lived with chronic pain that has left her incapacitated at many times. She’s had more abdominal surgeries than I can count on one hand just in the last 7 years than anyone should have in their life. She lost her uterus, Fallopian tubes, and cervix when she was 21. Her weakened immune system causes the need for frequent quarantine. She could no longer  work as a chef and decided to pursue a career she’s always dreamed of in psychiatric medicine. She’s a premed student, studying remotely, and hopes to be able to help other women who have been traumatized by the wreckage of this disease that is so misunderstood and underrepresented.
There is no cure for endometriosis. Even a total hysterectomy still does not treat the chronic symptoms or the adhesions that grow outside of those organs. Andie is too young to lose her ovaries for at least 25 more years. The risks of cancer, heart disease, and other conditions associated with ovary removal before menopausal age go up high enough to outweigh the benefits and in general shorten the life span.

Andie just lost one of her ovaries in an emergency surgery. Her right ovary torsed several times over from the frequent cysts bursting and irritation from endo lesions and was full of blood, but not receiving any blood, causing it to die inside of her and caused some of the worst pain imaginable. She woke up from surgery with one ovary left, determined to save it. Infertility is a heartbreaking reality she has had to consider at a much earlier age than anyone should have to. Even though she lost her uterus, she still has viable eggs. Her chances of ever saving them are now cut in half. But at this point, saving her eggs is no longer an expectation, but would be an added blessing to just getting her out of pain and saving her left ovary to prevent the risks she’d be facing if she were to lose it, and that is what this treatment will do for her.
She was having similar pain post-ovary removal that was in her remaining ovary and we’ve now found out that it is having trouble adjusting to compensating for two ovary’s worth of ovulation, and she has been diagnosed with Remaining Ovary Syndrome (ROS), which means only that her risk of losing it is higher and her already chronic pain has a new source adding to it. After five years without a uterus, she’s now lost her right ovary as well and is not in much better condition than she was before. She’s had so many rounds of physical therapy and has made so many changes to try to live a more normal life. This disease has caused her to function at half of what she should get to experience, while still being determined to not let it hold her back. The only thing that has shown any promise for her condition is a treatment that suppresses the frequency of how her system pumps out disease. Her remaining ovary is in bad condition and is showing signs of stress, it has cysts and it is enlarged. She needs to have this treatment and she needs to restart now. She had a prior six month round before losing her ovary and her doctor said that it was the first time that any treatment actually seemed to be improving the rapid rate of new adhesions. Her doctors believe that this is the way to help her, and so do we. Insurance is not picking up the costs for her this time. We are filing appeal after appeal and her specialists are trying to convince them, but for now the insurance says no.

The way that women with endometriosis and similar disease are violated over and over again is so discouraging. Between doctors who don’t understand the disease or take them seriously, and by insurance companies that tell them that their condition isn’t worth treating or that they’ve tried too many things that have failed, it’s no wonder that there are so few that specialize, that understand how severely this disease can impact someone’s life, or even attempt to help these women.

Since the need to start this treatment is so pressing, asking for help is the option for her. She needs to start with at least a six-month round of medication treatment which is supplemented with weekly physical therapy and shots in her pelvis (which is often frozen from the constant pelvic and abdominal pain and stress). Alongside this are expenses involved with her surgery, copays, and any other bills that may arise during. Andie is a student who is dedicated to helping people by easing their pain. She is a strong advocate for those affected by these issues and so many others. Her pain and trauma from this part of her life needs to be eased, too, and she needs an advocate. This treatment will make it possible for her to save this ovary and have a chance of being physically able to have the life and the career she is working hard for. Any help received would be so appreciated. It is a hard time for many and there are many causes and people who need help. Your gestures of sharing, donating, or just telling Andie that you’re there for her go so far and help immensely to get her to a healthier place.

Thank you all.