Support Dana's Life-Changing Endometriosis Surgery

My name is Dana Thurston and I am an Endometriosis warrior. I have a severe and aggressive form of endometriosis. It mimics cancer growth. It grows rapidly and excision surgery is the main way of battling it.

For the past 27 years, I have battled this horrific disorder. My journey began when I was 13 years old and I dealt with period irregularity. By the time I fully entered my teenage years, I was met with crippling bouts of abdominal pain, periods lasting 10 days, getting periods twice a month, chronic nausea and vomiting, familial hemiplegic migraines, and severe fatigue. Sadly, no doctor believed me. My mother was my advocate and she never gave up on trying to find help for me. I was saved by a doctor in Jacksonville, Florida. I was finally listened to and diagnosed at the age of 22. I would later have two more surgeries in my late 20s/early 30s via another surgeon in Orlando, FL.

My surgeries with the Orlando doctor were not successful or helpful and I needed further assistance from a true specialist. Desperate in 2019 for help, I found Dr. Masahide Kanayama in NYC. His way of excision surgery breathed new life into me. Since my endo is aggressive, I had to have another surgery in 2022.

On my most recent visit with Dr. Kanayama, my ultrasound showed that my uterus and right ovary are stuck together and are pulled to the right side internally. It has been causing me cramping/menstrual-like pain daily, migraines, and heavy fatigue. I need to have another surgery to remove more tissue and to have my organs put back in place.

I am forever grateful to my family, friends, co-workers, and my loving husband. My husband, since we met in 2014, has been with me every step of the way. He has been a tremendous support and fights this thing alongside me.

I need this surgery so that I can have my life back.