Help Eleanor get the surgery she needs! Thanks ♥️

My amazing daughter Eleanor has been living with Endometriosis since she was eleven.

Our concern about her disabling monthly pain led to a diagnosis of stage 4 Endometriosis when she was 17.

Since then she has had 11 surgical interventions to reduce her pain and manage the progression of this cruel disease, as well as aggressive hormone treatments which have had lasting side effects.

In her early 20s, she refused to give in and fought against the disease to launch a career in comedy, establishing an all women sketch group Lady Garden, appearing on TV and at Edinburgh, and in her own one woman show I Am Bev in 2013. She was reluctant to let others know about her struggle, but the physical effects of endometriosis ended this career.

She turned to writing comedy for others, and also her funny memoir/survival guide about living with endometriosis- Private Parts in 2019. She continues to support endometriosis charities and is an ambassador for the cause.

In March 2020, Eleanor contracted Covid at the height of the pandemic, and was left with Long Covid which has generated further disabling effects on her life.

In 2022 her last operation revealed a much more serious entrenchment of the disease which is now displacing internal organs and causing acute pain which effectively immobilise her for weeks at a time. She's been on the NHS waiting list, for what was once considered an urgent surgery, since then.

Eleanor urgently needs extensive and lengthy surgery to remove the disease, scar tissue and damaged organs, which have worsened during the two years. She lives in very high levels of pain, spends many days a month literally unable to stand, and relies on very strong opiate medication to function on 'the good days.’

I cannot stand by and allow this to continue any longer. She has lost so much and so many opportunities.

The aim is to go in late September.

The Surgery-

She has the chance to be treated by a world class surgeon in America; Dr Iris Orbuch who specialises in deep excision surgery and robotics technology. What she's offering is a kind of surgery not available in the UK, even privately. She has excellent success rates, and very few patients have recurrent surgeries so the hope is that this will be the final operation Eleanor needs.

It's a radical surgery but one which is now required due to the damage caused from so many years of this condition. The NHS consultant who has treated Eleanor all these years has also advised that this is the best - and only- course of action now.

It's Eleanor's last option to try to get to a life as pain free as possible, not blighted and stalled by disease. She deserves a future, a chance to rebuild her life and explore her talents. She needs hope.

Her courage and strength, resilience and determination as well as her quick witted humour and enthusiasm continue to impress us all. But her life is a daily struggle with pain and fatigue requiring all her resources and the support of private health professionals for pain support, physiotherapy, tests and medication.

How you can help-

Since she wrote the book people have been kind enough to ask how they can help, what can they do when this seems so relentless and unsolvable. While there is no cure for Endometriosis, for the first time ever this looks like the best solution that exists right now.

This goal is only a portion of the cost;

The surgery/hospital costs alone are approximately £52k, with 5k for contingency in case anything goes wrong (need for blood/follow up tests/meds)

Travel; (approx 7k) accommodation (approx 5k), insurance (approx 1k).

Also, to be clear this figure does not include costs for those travelling to support her.

We would be incredibly grateful if you can spare anything- however small. We know how hard it is for everyone at the moment, but anything you can give will help us get closer to a new life and a future for someone very special.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone you know who you think would like to donate.

I thank you so much

Viv Thom (Eleanor's Mum)