Hi! My name is Kyra. I am 25 years old and currently based in Yosemite, California. I work as a yoga instructor, adventure guide (as of 2026 I have had to take a break due to my disease), and my main job is to help run and support a volunteer program based here in the park. As lucky as I am to be where I am in life... unfortunately for my entire life, I have suffered with previously undiagnosed serious illnesses. Just this year I have recieved life changing news that will require a major pelvic-abdominal surgery this December 2026.

There's 15 years of struggle, medical trauma, gaslighting, misogyny, sexism, ageism, and pure discrimination I have faced. Now, I finally have some insight and answers to why I have struggled with life-altering, debilitating, suicide ideation-inducing, chronic bodily pain since I was 10 years old; and am now at a place in my life where I can barely work a full time job, and have a really difficult time enjoying my passions, and have had to step away from a lot of things that make me truly happy and fulfilled in life including my college degree, for now. 

At the end of May 2026, after going to Endometriosis Global Specialist Group in Tijuana for specialized diagnostic imaging called Endometriosis Pelvic Mapping; I recieved my diagnoses of Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis in multiple locations in my pelvis (including bowel endometriosis) as well as Vaginal Fibrosis (which is RARE in current medical literature, and there are less than 300 documented cases world wide), and I have Degenerative Disc Disorder in my spine between Lumbar Vertebrae 5 (L5) and Sacral Vertebrae 1 (S1) as well as newly diagnosed Central Sensitization Syndrome. I have also been, in the last few years, diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). All of these things combined make my life EXTREMELY difficult, and my quality of life has been actively deteriorating since childhood.

Endometriosis to put it in very simple terms, is when endometrial-like tissue grows in different locations in your body creating lesions; and considered to be a full-body systemic inflammatory disease that affects multiple systems of the body, causing excruciating pain, full-body inflammation, nervous system dysregulation, immune system dysregulation, debilitating and disablingly painful periods, organ damage, adhesions, and organ loss, infertility, and more. My case of endometriosis has created endometriosis lesions on multiple locations within my pelvis that cause a daily myriad of symptoms and chronic pain (theres a LOT of symptoms and depending on what type and progression of the disease will change what people experience). I’m currently dealing with a severe and complex case that causes me daily agony, and also causes me to miss out on a lot of life, work, and opportunities. I am currently dealing with organs and connective tissues being fused together inside of my pelvis and abdomen, internal cyclical bleeding, and chronic pain that would put most people in the hospital… daily. My current diagnoses are only from one diagnostic imaging session, and the extent of the disease in my body could be much worse once the surgeons actually go in for surgery to see via laparoscopic imaging.

As far as we can tell so far, these will be some of the things done in my surgery quoted directly from a document from my surgeon: 

“-Excision of deep infiltrating endometriosis.

-Posterior compartment peritonectomy (retrouterine and retrocervical peritoneum).

-Bilateral uterosacral ligament and parametrial peritonectomy.

-Lysis of pelvic adhesions associated with endometriosis.

-Excision of lesions involving the posterior vaginal fornix and torus uterinus, when indicated.

-Evaluation and treatment of bowel involvement using organ-preserving techniques, including bowel shaving, discoid resection, or other conservative procedures deemed medically appropriate according to intraoperative findings.

-Preservation of the ovaries, uterus, reproductive organs, and healthy surrounding tissues whenever technically feasible and medically appropriate. 

It is important to note that the final extent of the surgery will depend on the findings encountered during the procedure, as deep infiltrating endometriosis may be more accurately assessed through direct laparoscopic visualization.”

Endometriosis in current medical research is said to "mimic cancer"; it is NOT a cancer, but the Endometrial like cells behave similarly to cancer cells because of multiple factors, including creating its own blood supply (angiogenesis), creating it's own nerves (neuroangiogenesis), it invades and can break down bodily tissues and organs similarly to cancer, it can travel to different places within the pelvic cavity and beyond all the way up to the brain, and has been found all over the body, and is resistant to programmed cell death (apoptosis).

Endometriosis has no cure, and this will be a lifelong disease I will have to manage. On the bright side, there are ways I can make the quality of my life significantly better moving forward at a time when I so desperately need it. Because of the specific type and progression of my disease, at my age, leaving it untreated surgically could mean it spreads, gets worse, and potentially cause me to have even more severe symptoms like organ failure, organ loss, and losing my fertility and ability to have biological children. I will also need my Vaginal Fibrosis removed during this surgery as well. The cost of my surgery, along with all of my consultations, post-operative care, and recovery post-operative consultations, is going to cost a lot. Also since the surgery will be outside of the country at that specialist center in Tijuana Mexico, there will be a lot of travel expenses as well.

With all of the medical debt I have already acquired, seeking help here with no answers in the United States for the past 15 years, I am definitely going to need all the support I can get going into this surgery scheduled in December 2026.

This procedure will allow me to start getting my life back, and the opportunity to continue creating a life for myself with even slightly less chronic excruciating pain is all I could ever dream, hope, and ask for. Anything helps! And I deeply appreciate every single one of you for even reading this far. If you do not have the means to donate, even spreading the word, sharing my story, or this link, will make just as significant of a difference in my life. Once I am healed, I hope to go back to school to earn my bachelors in biological sciences (I’m more than halfway through! Had to take a break to save for surgery and because of my disease progression makes attending classes extremely difficult) and then a doctorate degree to hopefully help other people fighting this extremely difficult and painful disease. I hope I can be a light and source of education to those seeking more confidence and insight to advocate for and stand up for themselves, particularly when dealing with undiagnosed chronic illness.

This has been a really hard battle, but I am proud of myself for sticking through and surviving this long untreated, now to start my real journey of healing my chronic illness. I’m grateful to have made it this far in life, but it’s truly been the biggest struggle to even make it to 25 years old. Cheers to a better future after surgery!