Endometriosis, who's problem is that?

Hi Linked In colleagues, former colleagues and people I’ve met along the way...

We’re looking for a bit of help, but more on that soon.

First let me introduce you to a very special individual. Harriet is a 22-year-old who graduated from Lincoln University and is building a career in our export sector, selling NZ products to the world. She loves all things country, including helping out on farm, coming home to ride her horse whenever she can. She’s easy going and has a positive, can-do attitude.

She’s incredibly open and has taught me a few things, particularly being able to talk about things ‘we don’t talk about’.

Yes, I’m her Dad and of course I’m biased, but this kid is amazing. You see, she has endometriosis, and it’s a real pain, but she’s motivated to share her story to help other sufferers, including those who don’t even know what endometriosis is. A few years ago, we had no idea what endo was either.

A quick look on nzendo.org.nz and you’ll learn that 1 in 10 women suffer from endo and the average time to diagnose this painful condition is a whopping 9 years! That’s 9 years of not knowing what the heck is wrong and ‘why me?’ and ‘is this normal pain or something different?’ Obviously, I’m not particularly well qualified to understand the individual pain and suffering, but I can tell you I’ve been blown away by the number of women who informed me they’re also endo sisters when I’ve let them know about Harriet’s big mission…

What big mission? Well, it started a couple of years ago when Harriet wanted to thank ENZ for helping her understand her condition and getting diagnostic surgery underway. Her favourite sport is sprint kayak (yep, the same stuff Lisa does), with races typically 200m and 500m. Training might take place over a few kilometers, but she set a goal of kayaking 100km in a day. 12h15m later? along with a decent chunk of cash ENZ's way.

2 years on and this next mission is big and it’s scary! Running trails and biking on the Coast, pretty much Auckland to Wellington, over 8 days…

From Farewell Spit, run 20km, run the Heaphy Track (85km) run the Old Ghost Road (84km) run the Paparoa Track (61km) with a decent bike ride between each run. Then bike to Greymouth to take on the 133km West Coast Wilderness Trail.

650km in just over a week!

Can she do it? I hope so, but we’re not really sure. She’s done the training, and is currently in good health. But this is something bigger and harder on her body than anything she’s done before. I know, and she knows, ‘if anyone can do it, Harriet can do it’. You see, she’s managed to turn her endo into a strength – a Superpower even! And as long as she believes that, she’s well on the way...

So, how can you help?

Thanks for reading this far, that’s already a win for us.

There are 4 ways you could help:

1.?????Message me with an offer to cover some of the road costs (video costs, van, fuel vouchers, accommodation, etc). And we can include your name/logo in some video as well.

2.?????Join us for one of the run or bike sections!

3.?????Spread the word – share/comment on this post, check ENZs website, follow Harriet’s mission on Facebook or Insta

4.?????Make a donation to Endometriosis NZ on this Raisely link (below). Harriet's target is $10K to help ENZ provide more Endo Help appointments for other sufferers and women who need to learn more.