Hello everyone, my name is Ruby. I’m a 25 year old female located in the state of Texas. In 2023, I was diagnosed with endometriosis via laparoscopic surgery. Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can spread to any organ in the body. It is not limited to the female reproductive system.

The surgery was done in an attempt to relieve severe pelvic pain and cramping. Unfortunately, it was not successful in the way I had hoped. These past two years my symptoms have only gotten worse. I have been experiencing debilitating chest pain, pelvic pain, nausea/vomiting, mobility issues (to the point of using a cane), and more. This disease has slowly taken over my entire life. A few months ago, after two years of worsening symptoms, I made the decision to take a break from work. This decision was not easy, but it was necessary so I can focus on my health.

Last week (July 2025) I had an appointment with an endometriosis specialist who gave me hope for the first time in years. There are 4 stages to endometriosis. 1 being the least severe and 4 being the most severe. After looking over my medical reports, she told me at the time of my surgery in 2023, I had stage 3 endometriosis. There is a high possibility it’s gotten worse and spread to my chest, due to the symptoms i’ve been experiencing.

The specialist recommended a different type of laparoscopic surgery called excision surgery. Endometriosis is not curable, but excision surgery has been known to relieve symptoms dramatically. Excision surgery pulls the endometriomias from their base root which reduces the chance of regrowth.

Due to the lack of research and care put into endometriosis, specialists are hard to come by. Because of this, the doctor and surgery fees are exponentially higher. In addition to out of network costs, I will need to travel 8 hours away to get surgery.

As I am unable to work right now, this causes severe financial hardship. In speaking to the surgery team, I was quoted $6,000 for an initial payment. This is only for the specialist fees and is not including the 8 hour travel and stay expenses, surgery itself, the hospital stay, or the anesthesiologist.

This is a surgery that has a high likelihood of allowing me to return to my normal life, get a job, and become an advocate for those facing the same struggles.

I normally don’t like asking for help, but I can’t do this without a community of support. Any help is so greatly appreciated. Whether that be financial or spreading awareness of my story and others whose lives are derailed by endometriosis. Thank you for reading my story. God bless each and every one of you. ️