Update: we made it to Paris!!!! As promised, the belfie....

This is me, 2 years ago.  Over the previous 10 years I had been medically and surgically treated for a variety of illnesses, all of which I now know were misdiagnoses for endometriosis.  My symptoms were slowly but surely debilitating me.  When this photo was taken, I was no longer able to work and, on a good day, could only walk to the shop 10 minutes from my house.  The health service in my local area had no resources to treat Stage 4 endometriosis, so the long term plan was pain management only.  I am not the kind of girl to accept defeat, so this was a devastating prognosis.

I am one of the lucky ones, however.  Through the information provided to me by Endometriosis UK and other sources, I was able to research potential other ways to manage my disease and get back to living a relatively normal life.  With the help and support of friends and family, and private healthcare, I got on top of it.  Now, I am back to work, and I live life to the full!  For those of you who know me, I hope you don't recognise the girl in this picture compared to how I am today.  I feel truly exhilarated, and privileged, to know that my body will (hopefully) be able to cycle those 300 miles.  

I'm not cured though.  Nobody is.  We just manage it.  My solution is not going to work for everyone and, from the stories I've heard, each sufferer is on a long journey to figure out how to live with it.  Although there are an estimated 1.6 million women in the UK suffering from endometriosis, 176 million worldwide, neither the cause nor cure is known.  Most people have never even heard of endometriosis, even though the cost of the disease to the UK in 2012 was estimated at £10.6 billion!!  This is right up there with heart disease and diabetes.

Please donate so that Endometriosis UK can raise the much needed awareness and we can encourage some further research to be done.  If you know me, or care about the cause, your support will be appreciated.

My sister, Catherine, and her boyfriend, Gabor, will be joining me, raising money for the very deserving Dreamflight charity. Their page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Catherine-and-Gabor

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.