Fighting talk from our warrior
“Most of all, they have convinced me that I am not alone. Someone feeling the same as you (when you have endo) is on the one hand tragic, but there’s strength in the unity of girls.”
That’s the view Tash has expressed this Endometriosis Awareness Month – as the warrior blogs on what our charity has done for her.
She also won’t mind us telling you that her diatribe includes some familiar scenarios – being dismissed by doctors, disbelieved by those around her and waiting an age for a diagnosis.
But she also possesses that same stout heart that many warriors have, and her response has been to involve her media students in campaigning for better awareness.
Go to (BLOGS)where it’s good to remind ourselves of what our charity and the current month-long campaign is all about!
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You’ve played a major role in raising awareness to BAFTAs
Massive thanks to all of you for helping to profile of a forgotten condition to such a point that books, pop records and now an award-winning film have been written about it.
Despite harming one-in-ten women, the profile of endometriosis was so poor five short years ago, that some members of the public thought the pelvic blight was a throat infection.
But your efforts to enlighten about endo have put it on the world map.
And we’re using the beginning of Endometriosis Awareness Month to express our gratitude to you for your sterling efforts.
We founded our charity in 2021 after being left dumfounded by the ignorance displayed to patients presenting with the condition.
And together we have ushered in an age where everyone from celebs to stigma-shy South Asian women now talk openly about their battles with the condition.
The film, “This is Endometriosis” also won the Best Short Film Award at the recent BAFTAs – the first time a medical condition has ever been the topic of a winning flick.
“So much progress has been made since local young woman Courtney Ormrod arrived at my surgery desperate for help half a decade ago” revealed our founder Dr Sharma. “Her teaching career had been ruined, she’d had black-outs and needed a wheelchair on occasions, and worst of all, nobody believed a word she said!
With the supreme support of volunteers from my Patient Participation Group we decided enough was enough – and began a campaign that owes so much to them and the people of Oldham who have since helped.”
Far from resting on her laurels though, Dr Anita is marching forward over the next few weeks with awareness-raising public events, including a walk and a coffee morning attended by local MPs. She is also set to unveil details of the country’s first-ever research into endometriosis and self-harm, conducted by the University of Manchester and funded by donations to Endometriosis Awareness North.
“While more people know about endo, the time taken to successfully diagnose endometriosis has actually GONE UP and sufferers have to wait in pain for nearly a decade to find out if they have the condition” she continued.
“Where is the specialist help to treat endo? Where is the research to find relief or even a cure? And where are the politicians who will make learning about Endo a part of our children’s education, or even grant special leave of absence for workers crippled by endometriosis?
There is still so much to be done.”
Doctor's appointment this endo month
Endometriosis Awareness Month is in full swing with events across the world raising the public consciousness.
But doesn’t it say everything about the situation that one group that needs real persuading – is doctors!
With that in mind, our founder Dr Anita Sharma is speaking at a MediConf event attended by thousands of practitioners across the worldwide web.
Recognising symptoms (and not merely dismissing them) will no doubt be high on her agenda. This might cut diagnosis times from their current level of 10 YEARS! Understanding the #mentalhealth strain of endo will be there also, as will encouraging doctors to campaign with us, put the issue on the public agenda, and find resource for better treatment and maybe even a cure.
Dr Sharma has a superb track record of speaking at medical events, ranging from training for resident (junior) doctors to international seminars for organisations such as BIDA (British International Doctors Association).
As you will see from the agenda, everything from diabetes to wheezes in schoolchildren will be covered.
For more on MediConf, go to https://www.mediconf.co.uk/
A fitting place to congregate on endometriosis
Friendships continue to be made, and awareness of endo raised at our events – the most recent of which took place in the borough of our birth.
Guests gathered at South Chadderton Methodist Church to share experiences and send a message to the community about the physical and mental pain endo warriors too often endure – and the hope our charity brings them.
We are now just a few days away from Endometriosis Awareness Month, where happenings such as this will take place across the country.
Indeed, we’re hosting another in Rochdale on March 28th. This will be attended by MP Elsie Blundell.
Sincere thanks to everyone who makes these congregations such a success. To learn more about what is coming up, go to UPCOMINGEVENTS
Find out what we're really about, on film
Click onto our brand new movie, detailing what Endometriosis Awareness North is all about Endometriosis Awareness North - YouTube
Featuring our treasured case study Courtney, it also gives medics a platform to call for quicker diagnosis of endometriosis.
With thanks to filmmakers Andrea Bertozzi and Pete Gibson Media.
Donate
We are registered with The Charity Commission. Our charity number is 1212676.
You can do your bit to research a cure to endo and support the one-in-ten women with the condition by going to our DONATE page.