Finding My Voice: How Endometriosis Made Me an Advocate

For years, I was silent. I suffered in silence, cried in silence, missed out on life in silence. I didn't talk about my Endometriosis because I was ashamed. Because people made me feel like I was the problem. Because I didn't have the words — or the courage — to speak up. But let me tell you something: silence almost destroyed me. And finding my voice? That saved me.

From Silence to Becoming an Endometriosis Advocate

Growing up in St. Croix, USVI, I didn't know what Endometriosis was. Nobody around me did. When my symptoms started — the crippling pain, the heavy bleeding, the fatigue that made it hard to function — I thought something was deeply wrong with ME. Not with a disease. With ME as a person.

I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Endometriosis in 2011, after years of being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and told I was overreacting. By that point, I had already missed so much. I dropped out of one school and transferred somewhere closer to my doctors. I missed classes, missed events, missed the life I was supposed to be living. And through it all, I stayed quiet about why.

Do you know what it's like to cancel plans for the hundredth time and not be able to explain why? To see the looks on people's faces — the doubt, the annoyance, the "here she goes again" expressions? It eats away at you. It makes you small.

The turning point came after my 8th surgery. I was lying in that hospital bed, in pain again, and I asked myself: How many more women are going through this alone right now? How many women are being told to "just deal with it"? How many are crying themselves to sleep because nobody believes them?

That's when I decided I was done being silent.

Creating My Endo Talks: An Endometriosis Advocate's Mission

My Endo Talks was born from pain, but it's fueled by PURPOSE. I created this platform because I needed a space where women with Endometriosis could feel seen, heard, and validated. A place where we don't have to explain ourselves or justify our pain. A place where we can just BE — together.

Being an endometriosis advocate isn't glamorous. It means reliving your trauma so others don't have to go through it alone. It means having uncomfortable conversations with people who don't want to hear about periods and pain. It means putting yourself out there and knowing that some people still won't understand.

But it also means getting messages from women who say, "Thank you. I thought I was alone." And THAT makes every single moment worth it.

I think about women like Tia Mowry, who has spoken openly about her battle with Endometriosis, and Whoopi Goldberg, who has used her platform to raise awareness. These women showed me that our voices MATTER. That speaking up isn't weakness — it's one of the bravest things you can do.

Why Your Voice Matters Too

Here's what I need you to understand: you don't have to start a website or stand on a stage to be an advocate. You become an endometriosis advocate the moment you tell your story to one person. The moment you say "This is what I'm going through" instead of "I'm fine." The moment you refuse to be silenced.

Every time we speak up, we chip away at the stigma. Every conversation brings us closer to better research, better treatment, and hopefully one day — a cure. There are approximately 190 million women worldwide living with this disease. Imagine if every single one of us raised our voice. That's a sound that CANNOT be ignored.

I went from a girl who was too ashamed to talk about her pain to a woman who won't stop talking about it. And I'm proud of that. This disease has taken so much from me — my health, my time, my peace of mind — but it will NOT take my voice.

Don't let Endometriosis win!!! Whether you whisper it or shout it from the rooftops, tell your story. Reach out to us — I want to hear YOUR voice. Together, we are unstoppable.