Help Holly Get Life-Changing Surgery

In 2017, Holly began experiencing excruciating and debilitating pelvic pain. The pain became so severe that she ended up in the hospital. She received scans and examinations, which determined that she had 3 ovarian cysts, causing severe pain and inflammation. The doctor assigned to Holly’s case recognized her symptoms, believed her pain, and came to the conclusion that she was suffering from a disease called Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a systemic, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue found outside the uterus in other areas of the body. Holly is extremely lucky that her doctor at the hospital recognized what she was dealing with and had the knowledge to offer her the correct diagnosis.

Holly’s first hospital visit was in March 2017, and she would be graduating just a few months later in June. Her doctor wanted to perform surgery ASAP but had to wait so that Holly would be able to graduate and walk with her class. This means that she was in pain for months and months, and had to finish her schoolwork just like everyone else in her class, all while dealing with excruciating pain & mental exhaustion. It was incredibly difficult for her physically, but also mentally because Endometriosis is an invisible disease. With this disease, she looks completely normal and healthy on the outside, but she is in pain every moment of every day. She could no longer participate in her PE class and was bullied by a teacher because “she looked fine and there was nothing wrong with her”.

Her OB-GYN and another surgeon performed her first surgery on June 16th, 2017, just 1 week after her graduation. They removed the ovarian cysts and her endometriosis (found on and around her ovaries, uterus, bladder and abdominal cavity). Holly experienced relief for maybe a year or two, and then her symptoms returned. She began experiencing new symptoms that she hadn’t had previously.

Since Holly is so used to dealing with chronic & acute pain, she has been able to push through it until now. She is no longer able to function as a normal adult. She is in constant pain and her quality of life has never been as bad as it is now. You would not know any of this because she is so good at coping with this pain and acting like she is fine.

Holly’s symptoms include: excruciating period pain, heavy menstrual flow, pain with inserting a tampon, irregular bleeding, daily ovary pain, leg pain & numbness, pain during ovulation, ovary & uterine pain when bladder is full, inability to fully empty her bladder, bladder & vaginal pain during and after urinating, “knife-like” vaginal pain, lower back pain, sciatica, chest pain, difficulty breathing, shoulder pain, decreased appetite, nausea, painful & irregular bowel movements, abdominal & rectum pain with passing gas, diarrhea, constipation, stabbing pain in belly button, painful abdominal swelling after eating and drinking, digestive pain, extreme & extensive food intolerances, chronic fatigue, inability to complete tasks and chores after work/on weekends, pain when wearing pants and tight clothing, difficulty falling asleep, insomnia due to constant pain waking her up throughout the night, dizziness, brain fog, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, memory loss, headaches, difficulty standing for more than 60 seconds, and she can no longer participate in social activities and hobbies due to pain and lack of energy.

Holly does not want to keep having surgery every 6 years for the rest of her life. The more Endo surgeries you have, the less effective they become. She wants her next surgery to be as effective and thorough as possible. Holly recently met with an Endometriosis specialist and surgeon in Portland to discuss surgery and treatment. Her surgeon has 25 years of experience and is very optimistic that this surgery will change Holly’s life in every way.

This is where Holly needs your help! Her surgeon is an out-of-network provider, which means that Holly will be paying for the procedure out of pocket. She is scheduled to have this surgery on June 29th, 2023. The recovery time will be approximately 6 weeks. It is going to be extremely difficult and it will be some time until she can return to work full-time. She needs help paying for the surgery, facility costs, fees, other medical bills (ex. she was just in the ER last week for unmanageable pain), and cost of living while she recovers and is unable to work.

If you have the means to leave a contribution, this surgery is going to be life-changing. Holly cannot go on like this, and it would mean so much if she had your support. If you are unable to leave a contribution, please consider sharing this page on your social media pages. It only takes a moment and will help Holly get the help that she desperately needs while also raising awareness for others dealing with Endometriosis. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for helping in any way. Holly cannot thank you enough. We will be posting updates to keep you all in the loop on how everything goes, and how Holly is doing.

Breakdown of costs:

***Any additional funds will be used to pay remaining medical bills and supplement missed work days.