Help Ashleigh Overcome Endo

Hi! My name is Marli and I am raising funds for my beautiful cousin Ashleigh, who I have watched struggle with an “invisible” illness for over 10 years. She is a 2005 Governor Mifflin grad and went on to get her bachelor’s degree in marketing at Penn State University, so some of you may know of her. After all of these years of unexplainable pain, suffering, and visits with doctors who had no answers, she finally underwent a diagnostic surgical procedure where her invisible illness was given a name; endometriosis. Endometriosis is an inflammatory chronic pain condition where uterine tissue migrates and implants into other regions and systems within the body and causes extreme pain and dysfunction. This ultimately impacts one's quality of life, mental health, and overall well being.

Since receiving this diagnosis, she has now undergone two more procedures including a hysterectomy/appendectomy and extensive removal of this uterine tissue from other internal organs. Unfortunately, only a few months after the last procedure, the endo has grown back even worse and she will most likely need to undergo a third surgery to remove her ovaries and the regrowth on her organs again.

Because of her ongoing and debilitating symptoms, her work performance has suffered and she is slowly being pushed and bullied into quitting her job which she cannot afford to have happen.

The lengthy journey to reach this diagnosis and then the ongoing management of symptoms which includes inpatient treatments, outpatient treatments, surgeries, mental health support/treatment, and necessary prescription medications to manage pain has, and continues to build an incredible mountain of debt that is overwhelming. Ashleigh is a beautiful, smart, shining light in this world and has so much to offer, and I cannot let this diagnosis continue to dim her light. More money needs to be allotted for endo research so that this does not continue to happen, because unfortunately 1 in 9 women in the US have this disease, yet there is still no cure (Ellis et al., 2022). Ashleigh would never ask for help on her own, so I am taking the initiative to raise these funds to help her get back on her feet, see her way out of some of her medical debt, and set her on the path to healing.

Right now I completely understand that financially, times are tough for most of us, so any and all contributions will mean more than words can express. Ashleigh is determined to fight and advocate for an increase in endometriosis research funding and bring awareness to issues regarding women's healthcare, so let’s help get her to a place where she has the physical and mental strength to do that.

Endometriosis is Undervalued A Call to Action

What is Endometriosis