Kayla Needs Life-Changing Surgery

My girlfriend Kayla has been fighting a battle no one deserves to go through. She has been suffering with Stage 4 Endometriosis and we finally have an opportunity to provide her some relief from her symptoms.

Currently 27 years old, Kayla has spent her entire twenties miserably sick. She has been sent to every specialist that made sense based on her symptoms. After many years of misdiagnoses and invasive treatments, she finally got a diagnosis through biopsies done in a laparoscopy— endometriosis. Every case of endometriosis is different and depending on where it is in the body, the patient can develop different symptoms. This makes it very hard to diagnose and most patients have to go through multiple misdiagnoses.

Once we had the correct diagnosis, we thought the worst part was behind us. However by the time Kayla received her diagnosis, it had already spread throughout her organs and abdominal cavity. The 4 stages of endometriosis are determined according to the number of lesions, how far it has spread, and the depth of infiltration: minimal (Stage I), mild (Stage II), moderate (Stage III) and severe (Stage IV).

Kayla’s Stage IV Endometriosis is deeply infiltrated and, after multiple consults with top endometriosis specialists, was deemed inoperable. A second laparoscopy showed that it had spread over her intestines, appendix, bladder, abdominal wall, ovaries, stomach, and more. Surgeons told her this was now too advanced to do surgery. She was told there is nothing more they can do for her and this is her life now. Yet at the same time, we also knew that her endometriosis was continuing to grow, spread, and worsen each day.

She had to take an emergency withdrawal from university, in hopes of being back the following year, and has not been able to go back since. Kayla is one of the brightest people I know. It breaks my heart to see such a bright light, slowly dimming.

Kayla’s health is currently worse than it has ever been, and still getting worse each day. She spends her days doubled over in 10/10 excruciating pain, and doesn’t stop vomiting until the pain stops. These “flare-ups” that used to happen periodically, are now her every day “normal.” Unable to work, unable to eat, unable to make plans with friends, unable to go back to school... This illness is severely holding her back. It breaks my heart to see her miserable and suffering like this every day.

She has been doing everything possible to manage her excruciating symptoms, which are still getting worse; and the medications we have available are not providing relief as her endometriosis has become too advanced and affected too many areas and organs in her body. She was getting nerve block injections to numb the severity of the pain, which was helping, but unfortunately this treatment isn’t available on the Sunshine Coast, so she was travelling to Vancouver every 2 weeks for this treatment. The stress of the travel was too hard on her body, often resulting in ER visits, and she ultimately had to stop this treatment.

Kayla has never given up. Desperate for help, she advocated for herself and wrote to Dr. Ken Sinervo, the Medical Director at the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is known as one of the top expert endometriosis surgeons worldwide. Women all over the world who have had multiple surgeries without relief have gone to the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta and one surgery provides them with the relief they so desperately desire.

After hearing her story and reviewing her extensive medical records, Dr. Sinervo called Kayla up himself personally and told her the words she has been waiting a decade to hear: “I am confident I can help you.”

He has put together a surgical plan and he believes his surgery will take away 85-90% of her symptoms with only a 5-10% chance of needing another surgery. Dr. Sinervo is one of the few surgeons in the world who can remove deeply infiltrated endometriosis with this success rate, and one of the few who even know how. He has dedicated his career to cases like this. He is a Canadian doctor who has moved his practice to the USA; he understands the limitations doctors face up here to help patients with this illness. Kayla is suffering so bad, she said to me “Even if this surgery can take away 5% of my pain, I’ll take it.”

We have booked the surgery and Kayla could not be more grateful there is a doctor out there who believes he can help her. He is getting her in as soon as possible and she is scheduled for Tuesday September 26th, 2023! Kayla and I will be in Atlanta for two weeks total.

She included in her letter to Dr. Sinervo that she truly believes she is on this planet to help others. She hopes that sharing her story will spread awareness around this illness, but also one day hopes to be healthy enough to help other women who are going through what she is currently enduring. She told Dr. Sinervo if he helps her, he is not just helping her but also all those she will one day help in her life. She has the biggest heart I know and she needs this surgery so bad.

As endometriosis advances, it often leads to infertility. Kayla’s endometriosis has spread throughout her reproductive area. She wants to have children one day more than anything, and Dr. Sinervo understands this. He is going to do everything he can to keep her fertility intact which is very important to her. I know she is going to be an incredible mom one day.

Kayla’s body is so overrun with endometriosis she can barely leave the house without triggering a flare-up of 10/10 pain. She misses being healthy enough to enjoy the benefits of things like yoga, pelvic floor physiotherapy, and staying active to manage symptoms and prevent flare-ups. She misses leaving the house for simple everyday activities that most of us take for granted, without her illness holding her back or severely flaring up.

This smart, beautiful, kind-hearted soul is capable of big things in this life. This surgery is her best chance at being able to enjoy life and be able to function again.

We have started this Go Fund Me account to ease the burden of the costs of surgery, hospital fees, flights and travel, meals and additional expenses during the two week stay in Atlanta. Kayla has been unable to work consistently with her illness and is relying on the financial support of myself and her hardworking family. She is so grateful to have a supportive family who is stepping up for her, but it is a lot of debt for anyone to take on. Any help, every little bit, is so very appreciated. Kayla is the most kind-hearted person I know. She isn’t one to ever ask for help, yet she is always there to help others.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. If you can contribute, every little bit goes a long way and will be such a big help for us.

Please share this on social media to help Kayla get all the support she can.

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