Exciting news update- I’m now trained as a volunteer advocate for Endometriosis UK! 🙂 This means that I will be helping women with endometriosis in England to address some of the difficulties they are experiencing as a consequence of living with the disease. Advocacy support could relate to anything from accessing healthcare services and employment disputes to exploring coping mechanisms for the development of better mental health. You can find out more about the Endometriosis UK Advocacy Support here.

I’m feeling really grateful for this opportunity, and will give as much as I can to the role to help women with endometriosis lead as pain free and fulfilling lives as possible. We all know that having endometriosis  (or any chronic illness for that matter) can be so soul-destroying and isolating at times, and can impact on every aspect of life. From reading this blog you may know that my own story with endometriosis has deeply affected my mental health, working life, body image, and friendships- and I know that my story is probably your story too.

Six months post surgery: Feeling good and ready to kick endo-butt!

Now I am feeling much better physically post-surgery (I haven’t take a single pain killer in 5 months- I used to take 8 a day for 4 years!), I felt it was time to step up my fight against this disease with some positive action. Mighty Endo-Lady lives on! I’m a big fan of charity volunteering anyway and also currently volunteer for Age UK as a befriender. I know how much I could have benefited from an advocacy service in the past, and hope the women who are lucky enough to use it find it informative and useful.

I’m always keen to hear about your experiences of programs and projects in your own communities which work to support women with endometriosis- either as a service user or volunteer. If we keep working toegther we can make a difference to people’s lives and create greater awareness of this awful condition.

Love,
Claire
xx