I need surgery as soon as possible and I need your help to get there.

Endometriosis has brought a level of full body pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and debilitating exhaustion into my life that has steadily eroded the essence of who I am as a person AND I finally have some clarity and hope from a group of doctors at Endo Global Group in Mexico. Too many days spent in bed is wasting my life.

If we don't know each other yet, I'm Alisen, a 44-year-old stand up paddle board school owner / instructor in Jasper who is hoping to get her life back by traveling to Mexico to see a group of world class surgeons for diagnostics and an endometriosis excision surgery on December 1. I have a 3.5 cm endometrioma on my left ovary causing consistent pain which indicates deep infiltrating endometriosis in other parts of my body. This is a full body disease with tissue that spreads like-cancer, sticks organs together, affects digestion and urination, and causes significant debilitating pain and a long list of aggressively worsening symptoms. Some days it's hard to walk, hard to shower, hard to stand long enough to make a meal. Some days I spend in bed curled around a heating pad in agony in the dark because of light sensitivity and skin so sensitive my clothes hurt.

My most recent Canadian ultrasound and MRI indicates other organs in my body are likely already affected, but sadly, in most of Canada, we don't even have the radiology expertise to see the full extent of the damage these growths are causing in my body. They need to be discovered and removed and no hormonal treatment or entry into menopause is going to fix this.

I've spent the past 6 years struggling to work consistently and taking extended unpaid sick leaves due to the short term contract nature of the winter work I do and the fact that I can't pay into EI as the sole shareholder of a limited company. I have no savings left and no other options, but to ask for your generosity.

Since August, I have been unable to work more than 5-20 hours a week. An MRI on Sept 1 finally gave me the evidence I needed to know why when the endometrioma was discovered. The last 6+ years of illness and the post-wildfire realities many of us in Jasper are facing have crippled me financially. At this point, I am afraid I'll loose my business on top of the active lifestyle and social life I used to have (RIP all that for now) that I am already grieving.

This surgery should be available in Canada, but sadly the calibre of care and diagnostics that are needed to properly treat deep infiltrating endometriosis in a timely manner isn't available in our country. I am currently on a waitlist for a specialist that is about 18 months to consultation and up to 4 years until surgery. I cannot accept the pain and disability or risk the complications of that kind of wait after over a decade of significant pain.

I’m hoping to raise $44,000 to help cover mounting bills and significant financial strain and to pay for travel down to Mexico for medical care: a $28,000+ surgery, medications and private clinic diagnostics such as MRI and specialized ultrasound, urology testing and consultation pre-surgery, travel expenses, 2 weeks of recovery in Mexico. After I come home, my return to normal capacity and ability to lift heavy object could take approximately 3-6 months depending on how the surgery goes and what complexity they find in the progression of this disease.

Mexico has some of the leading experts in endometriosis and offers me a rare opportunity for pain relief, and protection from further disabling complications. A recent CBC article covered this exact topic and, one of my surgeons there said roughly 70% of Endo Global Group's patients are currently Canadian.

This is the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever had to be public about, but desperation pushes us past our comfort zone in ways we never anticipate and I am desperate to regain my quality of life. This is a chance to return to myself, and possibly even to the person I was 10 years ago before endometriosis (in combination with my other inflammatory autoimmune-like condition, ankylosing spondylitis) took my photography career, my love of trail running, and my enjoyment of the backcountry from me.

I’m asking anyone who has anything from $5 to $100 to spare to consider helping.

Donating here at Go Fund Me means that 2.9% plus 30 cents of each donation will go towards credit card processing fees--that's fine for small amount. But if we know each other well enough that you’re comfortable to reach out via text message then a private e-transfer means all your funds can go directly to my medical bills without fees–I will give you the etransfer details for the account I have set up specifically for saving for this surgery.

If you can only afford or want to offer a small amount, here is an easy place to do that and the total goal here doesn’t have to be reached for me to receive any amount of financial assistance you can offer.

I know times are tough for all of use in Jasper and all my friends in other places are facing the pinch of rising inflation. We shouldn't have to crowd fund life changing medical treatment, but sadly this is where we are at—especially in Alberta where the decades of conservative leadership has underfunded healthcare, limited the access expert surgeons have to operating room time, and even defunded basic care like optometry visits for those of us who suffer eye disease as a result of our autoimmune conditions.

If you can't afford anything, relieve yourself of the guilt. I know how many times I've wanted to give when I was barely scraping by. No one is keeping score here. If we know each other well enough to stop on the street for a chat, then I'm sending you all a hug just for reading this and being informed. If you have endo or AS yourself and have questions on how to move forward, I've done a BOAT LOAD of research, tried dozens of diet changes, herb, supplements etc., physical therapies, and pharmaceuticals so send me a DM. I'm not an influencer and I won't charge you for peer-to-peer information that should be shared in community (insert eye roll).

Wishing you all cozy winter season and wellness. — Alisen