Help Gabby Access Expert Endometriosis Surgery in Atlanta

The past few years have been the hardest of my life. I never realized how blessed I’ve been with my health until I had lost it. Every moment of my life I am in pain. Occasionally it’s tolerable. Most moments it was awful, debilitating, and exhausting despite every medication, supplement, or diet I tried. If you haven’t experienced Endometriosis, it essentially feels like you’re being stabbed constantly, while simultaneously your organs are on fire. I wish I was exaggerating. On my worst days I did not get out of bed except to crawl to the bathroom or kitchen and force feed myself to eat despite the intense nausea.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis has no cure and is a lifelong battle for many people. It’s also incredibly common (1 in 10 women) but severely under-researched and underfunded. It is a full body disease where a tissue that is similar (not identical to) the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body. Endometriosis has been found in the heart, eyeball, joints, fingers, and brain. Most commonly it’s found in the pelvis, often surrounding or invading organs (bladder, bowels, ovaries, kidneys, etc.) with the risk of organ failure. It is also found in the diaphragm and lungs, causing lung collapses and breathing issues. Outside of the impact on your body, Endometriosis can easily ruin your career, finances, mental health, and heavily strain relationships. It truly is a disease I would never wish on anybody.

My Journey with Endo

I never anticipated, at 27 year old, being so incapacitated that I couldn’t even do my own dishes or laundry. Even with my loved ones help, I was drowning. I lost my quality of life and motivation to get out of bed, even when I could. My only hope was a surgery 18-24 months away, or paying $20-$100k to fly out of country for surgery with world experts. I got a miraculous cancellation and had my first Endometriosis Excision Surgery in Calgary in May 2023. The surgery was laparoscopic, but extremely invasive. I was confirmed to have Stage 3 Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis covering most of my pelvic walls and surrounding my bowels and ovaries. The endometriosis was excised including a finger-sized mass beside my bowels. After a long, still painful recovery from the surgery I was hopeful that I would regain my life and mobility. I fortunately experienced a few months of reduced pain, which I am very grateful to have had. Unfortunately I did still have quite a bit of pain and struggled with knowing whether I was still healing, or if there was another reason that I’m still in pain. After a few months, my pain started to increase very quickly. I realized that the pain was not going away, and I knew something was still very wrong. I have some good days, which I’m very grateful for. Overall though, my pain has continued to get worse and affect my quality of life in every area. I’ve struggle to function every day due to the constant debilitating pain, fatigue, nausea and brain fog. I was also diagnosed Adenomyosis and Fibromyalgia, which is common. I now rely on mobility aids most days to help me. At least once a month the pain is so bad I can barely stand, struggle to stay conscious, and need to visit my favourite emergency room. I rely on my family and friends to help me function until the pain is manageable again.

Why International Surgery?

My options in Canada are unfortunately limited, as I’ve tried every medication suggested with no success, and Endometriosis research requires much more attention and funding than it has ever been given. After lots of deliberation and research, I’ve decided to pursue a surgery with Dr. Jose Eugenio-Colon at the renowned Centre for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia. I am cautiously optimistic that this surgery will get me my life back. Many people with endometriosis require multiple surgery throughout their lifetime, and there’s no guarantee that their pain will reduce. But chances of success improve drastically when the surgery is done early, and with expert precision so the disease is properly excised and less likely to grow back quickly. While I’m so excited for the opportunity to to the CEC, getting international surgery is very expensive.

Surgery Cost

My final cost will depend on the days spent in hospital, but I am anticipating approximately $40,000 CAD for my surgery and travel costs. I’ve been so lucky to have my family help support me over the past few years while I’ve struggled to work. I decided to do this fundraiser to ask friends, family and anybody reading this for as much support as you can manage. Whether it’s a financial donation or simply sharing this fundraiser. This surgery is lifechanging for me, and every bit of support means so so much to me. I can’t wait for the day that I can stand, work, socialize, and live a functional life. This disease is incurable and will always affect my life, but if I can get back even 10% of the life that I’ve lost, that’s worth everything to me. Any funds above and beyond what I require for my surgery and recovery will be donated to support Endometriosis Research.

If you’ve taken the time to read this, thank you so much for your support. Chronic pain is the hardest things I’ve ever experienced. There are many moments when I struggle to keep going. So please know that every donation, check-in text, etc. are what keep me going. Thank you

-Gabby

P.S Please don’t be afraid to talk about Endometriosis so we can all get the medical care we deserve! I’m an open book and so happy to answer any questions :)