Rebuilding Life Around Pain: Finding New Purpose

I was 16 when the pain started. My mother told me period pain was normal. My school nurse told me to take ibuprofen. My first gynecologist told me I was being dramatic. It took 12 years and four surgeries to get my endometriosis diagnosis. By then, the disease had spread throughout my pelvis. I had to leave my teaching career. The grief of losing my identity as an educator was almost as devastating as the physical pain. Who was I if I could not do the work I loved? The answer came slowly. I started writing about my experience online. Other endometriosis patients found my posts and shared their own stories. Within a year, I had built a community of thousands. Now I run workshops teaching patients how to advocate for themselves in medical settings. My career did not end — it evolved into something more meaningful than I could have imagined.