Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Endowarriors Launch Party

Endowarriors is an up and coming non-profit whose sole mission is to support women with endometriosis. The founders of this organization, Jill Feursich, Nicole Malachi and Jordan Davidson,
The Beautiful Co-Founders of Endowarriors
through their own profound understanding of endometriosis, saw there was a gaping hole in the needs of the community in terms of support.  They started Endowarriors to provide a safe place for women to talk about their fears, their pain and everything else that comes with battling this chronic and pervasive disease on a daily basis.  They currently run a support group in New York City as well as one in New Jersey. Their dream is to one day have an endowarriors support base in every city around the world. They also have started an endobuddy program which pairs endosisters from around the world. The goal of that program is for everyone struggling with endometriosis to at least have one person in their life there to support and understand them until they have access to a support group.


Endowarriors, which started with simply a few people hanging out in one of the co-founder's apartment, is quickly picking up speed and gaining more attention from the endometriosis community. They have even been asked to be a special part of the upcoming Million Woman March for Endometriosis and recently participated in The EFA's Nurses Conference. This week they hosted a fabulous launch party to celebrate their new website: http://endowarriorssupport.com/ . The evening was filled with great food, drinks and enthusiastic chatter amongst connected endometriosis patients and their loved ones. There were four of us guest speakers, who along with the co-founders themselves, engaged the energized crowd. I was incredibly honored to be one of them. We all testified to the prevalence of isolation amongst endometriosis patients and the importance of having a support network filled with empathetic, compassionate people. Dr. Datta, a gynecologist whose focus is endometriosis, spoke about how the disease is still so misunderstood by many medical professionals. Dr. Wilson, a psychologist who works regularly with endometriosis patients as part of a multi-disciplinary team lead by Dr. Seckin,  spoke of the emotional impact endometriosis has. My endosister Rachel Cohen and I presented a patients' perspective on what Endowarriors has meant to us.

I met so many incredibly strong women last night. I was so touched to hear their stories. No matter how sick, swollen or fatigued, everyone made such an effort to get dressed up and to show up,
Endosisters all dolled up and looking fierce
not an easy task for an endometriosis patient. The co-founders have always had this dream of having a free night out for ladies with endometriosis where they can eat, drink and be with another in a positive space. They worked hard to make last night happen and it was such a successful event. I left feeling strong, empowered and with a full heart. The co-founders made each one of us feel so special and welcomed. I felt like a valued and accepted part of an incredible community. Thank you to the co-founders for a job well done and I have NO DOUBT this is only the beginning of the incredible
difference they will make in this community.
       Here is my speech from last night! There was no light in the room, so it is very hard to see, but the audio is clear! After having an EXTENSIVE surgery
with four different surgeons to remove my endometriosis, only THREE WEEKS ago it felt amazing to be there! In my speech I talk about my surgery with Dr. Seckin and how I got through it all thanks to my infertility and endosisters.
         

2 comments:

  1. You are absolutely amazing, Casey. Thank you for all that you do for those of us who suffer from endo!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love it! And I can't believe you made it through without sobbing since I teared up (again!) listening to it. Thanks for all you do for the IF community.

    ReplyDelete