I can’t lie, I cried making this, because I keep thinking about how different my life used to look. I went from walking my dogs and doing yoga to barely having the energy to get up every day. I am so sad, I am so sick, and I am so angry. I keep asking the same question: why did no one listen to me before it got this bad?

What hurts almost as much as the pain itself is feeling like I was failed for so long. I have endometriosis and adenomyosis, and now I’m preparing for a hysterectomy in one month. No one can tell me for sure what would have happened if I had been taken seriously sooner, but I believe earlier diagnosis and referral could have changed the path I’m on right now. I know I’m not the only person who has been dismissed, minimized, or told to just keep pushing through pain that was actually a serious medical condition.

That is why I am calling for clear, faster diagnosis and referral standards for people showing signs of endometriosis and adenomyosis. Health systems and medical providers need protocols that require patients with ongoing severe symptoms to be taken seriously, evaluated promptly, and referred to qualified specialists without being brushed off for years. We should not have to lose our health, our energy, and our quality of life before anybody finally pays attention.

If you have ever been ignored, doubted, or made to feel like your pain was not real, please stand with me. And if you have never lived this, please still understand that this is happening to people every single day. Sign this petition and help demand earlier diagnosis, faster referrals, and real care for people living with endometriosis and adenomyosis.