Ms B?bhinn Nic Liam:

We are a very small organisation without any staff so what we can do on our own is very limited. For instance, having a website is extremely important for us but we are struggling to maintain it. Our website is funded through the generosity of the endometriosis community. It acts as a portal so that people can find information about endometriosis, read some personal stories and get in touch with us. In terms of reaching out to the medical profession, we have leaflets but as a small, unfunded organisation, we struggle to get them printed up and sent out either to hospitals or to GP surgeries. We could really do with some help in that regard.

Before Covid I was a participant in the patient contact module offered by the Royal College of Surgeons. I would go into the college and tell the students my story and for most, it was the first time they had ever heard of endometriosis. They would ask some very insightful questions. Many were shocked that I had not sued my GP. I wanted to tell them about my experience so that nobody else suffers the way I did. I wanted them to know about endometriosis so that when they qualify they can either refer or treat patients as they need.

What we can do on our own, with very limited resources, is very small but with help, we could do a lot more. We need to do a lot more.