Hi everyone,

My name is Nikita, I’m 27 years old, and I’m currently living with Stage four endometriosis, the most severe form of the disease. Endometriosis is a chronic disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb, causing inflammation, organ damage, and often debilitating pain.

I work as a nurse, a job I care deeply about, but living with this condition has increasingly made it difficult to continue working normally. The pain, fatigue, and complications from my endometriosis have started to affect my ability to do the job I love and care for my patients the way I want to.

In July 2024, I underwent laparoscopic surgery in Dublin to investigate my symptoms. During that surgery, doctors discovered that my endometriosis was far more severe and complex than expected.

The surgery revealed:

• Stage four endometriosis.

• Large ovarian cysts caused by endometriosis (called endometriomas) measuring 8cm and 10cm.

• Endometriosis deeply affecting the pelvis.

• Rectal involvement from the disease.

• Organs fused together by scar tissue.

• Complete obliteration of the Pouch of Douglas (the space behind the uterus where organs have become stuck together).

• Both fallopian tubes affected with hydrosalpinx.

During the surgery, my surgeon was able to remove the cyst on my right ovary and drain the cyst on my left ovary, but because the disease was so deeply embedded and organs were stuck together, it was not safe to remove all of the endometriosis at that time. I was advised that my case is complex and that I would likely need treatment from a specialist endometriosis centre with a multidisciplinary surgical team.

Recently, I had another scan which unfortunately showed that the disease is still very significant. The scan found a large 11cm endometrioma located behind my uterus, extending from the left ovary area. The cyst is so large that only part of my left ovary can be identified, and my right ovary could not be seen separately, which suggests that it may be stuck due to scar tissue from the disease.

Giving that my endometriosis is deep, complex, and affecting multiple areas, I now require specialist excision surgery performed by an expert endometriosis surgical team. This type of surgery is highly specialised and often involves surgeons experienced in treating disease that affects surrounding organs.

Unfortunately, waiting for this level of specialist surgery through the public system can take a very long time, and my symptoms continue to affect my daily life and my ability to work as a nurse. I have therefore been advised to pursue treatment privately, but the cost of the surgery and associated care is approximately €12,000, which is far beyond what I can afford on my own.

Living with endometriosis has impacted so many parts of my life, from chronic pain to uncertainty about my future health and fertility. This surgery would give me the best chance at properly removing the disease and improving my quality of life.

I never imagined I would be in a position where I would need to ask for help like this, but I am hoping to raise funds so I can access the specialist care that I urgently need.

Any donation, no matter how small, would mean the world to me. If you’re unable to donate, sharing my story would help more than you know.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for supporting me.

Nikita