Stephan with her medical bills in the UK

Hi, my name is David Steele and I am raising funds for Stephan Mathurin, my cousin, to support her with the cost of her surgery for endometriosis. Below is Stephan's painful story which begins in her early teenage years. Nearly 20 years later she is suffering even more with this illness. So please support her with whatever you can, it will be greatly appreciated.

My Endometriosis Story

My name is Stephan St. John Mathurin and I want to tell my story about painful experiences of having endometriosis. First, what is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Endometriosis can affect women of any age, including teenagers. It's a long-term condition that can have a significant impact on your life, but there are treatments that can help.

I was born in Grenada, a beautiful island in the Caribbean, at the St. George’s General Hospital on 4th September, 1989.

My periods began at the early age of 12. At the age of 13, I was experiencing some pretty painful periods. When I would complain about the pain I was told it was normal to have period pains. So I lived with the pain. By the age of 18, I went to see a gynaecologist about my period which was so painful by now that I could do nothing for two days. I was taking painkillers after painkillers as I was told period pain is normal. But as time went on these painkillers got to a point where they worked no more. In 2017, I went to see a private gynaecologist who diagnosed me with endometriosis which was because of the types of pain I had during my periods. Later I was prescribed birth control pills which didn’t help at all.

I was hospitalised four times between 2019 and 2022 with the same symptoms and complaints. On my second admission, which was one year after my first hospitalisation, upon investigation I was diagnosed with a small spontaneous the right pneumothorax after CT scan evaluation. In layman terms this is the trapped air in the pleural space which prevents your lung from filling with air, and the lung collapses.

In 2021, I once again presented to A and E department in an unresponsive state and was admitted. A scan was done and revealed large right hydro pneumothorax. I was seen by the general surgeon who did a right thoracotomy and a sample of tissue was taken for a biopsy. The general surgeon and gynaecologist ruled out pulmonary endometriosis. However, in the same year I was diagnosed with pulmonary endometriosis. During this short period my lungs had collapsed three times.

Battling endometriosis has been by far the most emotional, physical and mental challenge I have ever come across. Since being diagnosed I have felt the need to help other women battling this disease. It is so unfair that we have to suffer in silence, my approach is to turn a negative into a positive.

If I can change one thing I would let all women know that it is definitely not normal to be in pain; it’s not just a bad period. If I could do it all again, I would do it differently because I spent well over a decade believing that it is normal to have painful periods. I could have enjoyed my life more instead of accepting chronic pain as a way to live a normal life.

I am sharing my story today as I am seeking financial assistance on this GoFundMe page so that I can pay for my treatment in London, in the UK.