Jenny's Endometriosis Surgery & Post Op Care

Hi, my name is Jenny & I have Endometriosis (Endo). I have been living with chronic illness & chronic pain for many years but was recently diagnosed with Endometriosis at the start of 2021, changing my entire life. Thanks for taking a look at my page, any help you may be able to offer is so deeply & sincerely appreciated!

My story began in 2013 when I noticed a "mysterious" slew of health problems that went undiagnosed, getting progressively worse as the years went on. Symptoms included gastrointestinal (GI) issues, increased anxiety/ depression, and increasingly bad joint and muscle pains. Many doctors were unable to determine the root cause of my symptoms, writing it off as IBS, simply my period, to even telling me that I was perfectly healthy and it was “all in my head.” The mysterious illness was getting to the point that everyday activities, including my work as an animation artist, were a struggle for me. After a very painful scare in urgent care (2018), I was informed that I had an ovarian cyst burst; it was not for another year or two that I was told my chocolate cyst was possibly a form of Endo. It felt like a giant missing puzzle piece fell into my lap, so I went on an extensive personal research mission to learn all I could about Endo discovering that it explained many of my “unexplainable” symptoms. It was also through my research that I found my current care provider, one of the leading experts in the field of Endometriosis. My care provider confirmed that I would need surgery to remove the Endo from my ovaries and anyother known (& possibly unknown) locations throughout my body. Also, has over a 50% chance of needing to be removed during my endo surgery. Leading up to my surgery, I was tasked to work with a medical team to prep my body for surgery and bring down my inflamed ailments caused by Endo. My specialist team includes my Endo doctor as well as a GI doctor, multiple Physical Therapists (weekly) and a Nutritionist (most of which is out of pocket with bills adding up).




Sadly my endo symptoms (chronic pain, GI issues, and more) were enough that I was forced to step away from my dream career as an animation industry artist in 2021, causing emotional stress & financial hardship. The chronic pain made it difficult to draw anything for my job, not to mention the intense workloads/ hours that come with working in an extremely demanding, fast-paced industry. I cannot describe the heartbreak and grief of going from drawing multiple things daily to not even being able to draw one thing for myself at least once in an entire month due to pain or feeling ill.

Unfortunately, surgery for endometriosis is rarely fully covered by insurance (if covered at all), so there is a high chance that I will be paying for everything out of pocket. Not to mention that up until this point my insurance has barely covered my visits to Physical Therapy, causing financial strain leading up to my surgery. The lack of work due to my endo has made it difficult for me to save up money for my surgery, not to mention the pre- and post-op care I need. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to teach for a college in Spring 2022 as an adjunct professor which helped me to stay afloat while still paying the bills for my specialist team out of pocket, but it was all still at a financial loss.


I humbly ask for your generous aid during this uncertain time. The current estimate for my surgical bills is $40,000 USD, which could very likely go up. Only after surgery, which happens September 13th, will I have a better idea of what my bill will be like. Any money raised above the amount needed to pay my medical bills will be going towards my post-op care, including continued weekly physical therapy, specialized post-op nutritionist appointments, continued GI care, medication etc.

Finally, while the last few years alone have been wild and full of uncertainty, the addition of losing my career due to my chronic illness has been challenging on a deep emotional level, causing grief, anxiety & depression. Even writing this GoFundMe has been incredibly difficult as I have had to struggle with recounting the trauma around my health struggles over the years. Along with fighting shame and feelings around “attention/ sympathy seeking” (thank you to my therapist who helped me to overcome my feelings of unworthiness & trauma throughout this writing process so that I could ask for much-needed financial assistance without shame). Because of this, I am profoundly & sincerely grateful for any help you can lend me towards my healing journey. Even though endometriosis is an incurable chronic illness, I hope this surgery I will be able to restore some balance in my life, to feel like a healthier, more whole version of myself. And hopefully, it will allow me the opportunity to one day return to my dream career.


Deepest & sincerest gratitude- Jenny