After experiencing the positive effects of nutrition and homeopathy, I was curious and driven to learn more about these modalities, leading me on a distinct path for my future. Initially, I participated in a homeopathic first aid course, which only fed my desire to know more. I embarked on further study in Sydney, leaving my hometown of Cairns to pursue this dream.

 

Over the years, my passion has grown to include endometriosis, which has dramatically impacted my life. This saw me cofound Endometriosis Australia in 2012 and increase the charity to what it is today.

 

Being named on the Australian Federal Government's Endometriosis Advisory Group for the implementation of the National Action Plan on Endometriosis, AFR 100 Women of Influence Alumni, Blackmore's Women & WellBeing - ChangeBeing 2019, Finalist for the NSW Women of the Year Awards, Community Hero 2021, and an Australia Day Ambassador are some of the many highlights in recent years.

 

Over the past decade, my role has been to change the poor awareness statistic for endometriosis; when I first started, the disease was rarely spoken of publicly, and the majority of the population had never even heard of it. Over half of the Australian population still has not heard of endometriosis. Over the past decade, we undertook to change this, and we have made some huge inroads, but we still have a long way to go.

 

What is endometriosis? 

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which cells similar to the uterus lining are found elsewhere in the body. It is predominantly found in the pelvis but has been found everywhere in the body, including the joints, lungs, and brain.

 

There are 1 in 7 *women, and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) in Australia today will be diagnosed with endometriosis by the time they are 50; that number is well over 830,000 Australians directly impacted.

 

My role and skills were to help bring everyone together, and this was something that I drove Endometriosis Australia to achieve.

 

Developing the Ambassador Program was a critical turning point for the organisation. The idea was to normalise talking about endometriosis and that anyone could be affected.

 

Endometriosis affects every facet of a person's life. Endometriosis is a quality-of-life disease and a community issue. For the first time, we have hope for the future in light of the bipartisan federal government work and the release of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis in July 2018. 

 

With your help, Endometriosis Australia can make a difference for those with endometriosis. If you can donate to help them with their valuable work, please do so here.