Help Cole Secure A Vital Stage III Endometriosis Surgery
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Hello I am Tim Iorio i am the husband and life partner of Cole Stepro. I have loved this woman every day for the last 10 years. Over the years, we have grown and made an incredible life together. We love and support one another, work in our community, and generally enjoy our days. That is until last December. While we were busy making a life together, Cole started showing symptoms that were impossible to ignore.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with endometriosis, it is a condition that causes a buildup of tissue (similar to the tissue that lines the uterus wall) on the outside of the uterus. Over time, this new tissue begins to create damage and even fuse organs together. The pain that Cole experiences can be very severe and stops her from being able to feel herself or participate in her daily routine. Cole had to get a new job that was remote as she was no longer able to finish her commute on her own because of the pain. She used to go to the gym daily as it was one of her favorite things, but now can barely muster going, again, because of the pain.
After 5 months of going through doctors who had no idea, taking countless intrusive tests and exams, and being dismissed by nearly as many doctors as we had met, she was finally approved for a laparoscopy. She underwent her first surgery on April 11th of this year before the doctor even considered how severe her case was. Following this long-awaited surgery, this strong, healthy, vibrant woman was diagnosed with Stage 3 Endometriosis. This, unfortunately, was not the end of her nightmare as the surgery left her in worse pain.
After all of these failed attempts, we had to persevere and keep looking for help. We finally found a top New York specialist who understood the gravity and severity of Cole's situation. After speaking to the surgeon and his partner during an August 7 consultation, they deemed Cole’s case so severe that an advanced laparoscopic procedure was needed to deal with her case of deep infiltrating endo. Because women’s healthcare is drastically understudied and underfunded, we knew there would be a steep cost, but were devastated to find out that the surgeon and his team are out of network with all insurances. Our upfront fee for the surgery alone is $35,000 (not including everything after). Sadly, we are not even able to cover the surgery.
We are not people who ask for your help lightly. This is not an easy ask, but I need help to be able to give Cole some relief. She is in constant pain. This illness has devastated and disrupted every aspect of her life. She is only 31 years old and cannot spend the rest of her life like this. I come to you, our group of family and friends, and strangers who may have experienced this with a loved one, to ask for help to get this procedure that may give her back her life. We don’t want to travel the world and do exotic things – we want a quiet life of molding clay, nurturing plants, and painting. And not being in constant pain. While endometriosis isn’t rare, the severity of her diagnosis is. She would love to be able to get back to personal training, walking her adorable pomsky, Luna, and swimming and kayaking in Barton Springs. Anything you can spare would help. Our goal is to cover the $35,000. The surgery can’t happen without it, and right now it is our only option other than the misery she is going through right now. There are many strong women out there, but this is the one I love and have built a life with. Please help her have a chance at getting through this. Thank you on behalf of our families.
Share as many times as you can. The power of social media can be a life changer – we’ve all seen it happen. Please let this be a life changer for Cole.
Please see the following resources for more information about endometriosis.
Endometriosis Foundation of America
Endometriosis Association
Nancy’s Nook
SpeakEndo
World Health Organization
Fundraising team (2)
Timothy Iorio
Organizer
Austin, TX
Lacey Stepro
Team member