Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

With the help of Brasserie Blanc, Chichester I am hosting a charity dinner with a quiz and a raffle in aid of Endometriosis UK on Sunday 13th March at 6:30pm. The meal is a two course set menu with a glass of wine for £30 but £10 of that will be going directly to charity alongside any other money raised. I wanted to set up this page alongside as I have had a lot of people ask me where to donate if they are unable to make the meal 💛

As you may know the past two years Endometriosis has well and truly dictated my life - I document everything on the Instagram page @casadecullen - I really show the good, bad and the ugly on there, so if you don’t already please give me a follow!

Finally in March 2021 after nearly 15 months of pain I had my first surgery however it was unsuccessful as it was too complex. My endometriosis was affecting multiple organs causing them not to function properly and gluing them together for good measure. I was due urgent surgery in July but it got cancelled five days before because after reevaluating scans and MRI, I needed more imaging and now three specialist surgeons not two. Getting three surgeons in a room proved tough, I fought and fought for the healthcare I deserved but Monday 17th January my surgery finally happened 💛 

My operation went well on the whole. I believe everything was done that should have been and temporary stents were put in. Despite this - this is not the end of the journey, unfortunately those tissues will grow back and within 1-5 years I’ll most likely be having another operation. Some people find relief for long periods of time, others not at all. Some find symptoms are just a bit better but not gone. Some doctors will say a hysterectomy is the way forward to help but truth is that doesn’t actually help, it should just ease symptoms a bit as there is no cycle and ovulation.

This chronic illness is just debilitating - never at the age of 31 did I think I’d have been off work for over a year, be struggling with pain that leaves me bed bound two weeks a month (and the rest) or be a blue badge holder. The thing is I’ve struggled since a teenager with Gynae issues which now I look back and can see clearly it was endometriosis symptoms. Doctors are not quick or even aware of endometriosis in order to diagnose from a young age. There are other types of endo surgery but for the excision surgery I had there are only 200 qualified doctors in the world and 190 million women with endometriosis - let that sink in. The fact there is no cure is heartbreaking.

It affects everything from fertility, to mental health to the pain and fatigue endured day in day out. This is why I want to help raise awareness to just how crippling this can be. If it makes one person deal with a situation differently or you push a friend to get those pains looked at or helps someone feel less alone it did what it needed to.

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