Sleepy, Dopey, Doc and Endo

Almost 12 years ago, I was assigned a home tutor ; we’ll simply call her M. Unfortunately I wasn’t being home schooled due to family wealth or my parents being professors – no, it was being the “special” person that I am -  not only were my legs not working but I’d come into a rather (un)amusing phase of epileptic fits and narcolepsy.

Yes I would fall asleep involuntarily... any time of day you could find me just about anywhere; conked out on the landing, in my wheelchair sat up or on several occasions face first in my dinner – these were just a few of my slumber favourites.

So as you can imagine school (and too be just a little dramatic....) life became just that little bit more difficult. So I was assigned the lovely M. M only drank fruit teas, I was intrigued by her wealth of knowledge and her instant knowing if I had carelessly rushed a piece of homework.

I would look forward to M’s visits and wished I’d had her my entre schooling life, I credit her for my being awarded the GCSE’s my school had assumed I would never pass and for my 16^th Birthday M bought me a huge map of the world to intrigue and further my interest in travel.

M also introduced me to Pop. She had been signed off from school/college due to depression and unexplained “period pains”. M had driven me to Pop’s house as she thought we would complement each other’s very opposite personalities. Pop was very shy, very slim and had the thickest, darkest, curliest hair I’d seen – it was beautiful!

In 12 years since - Pop and I have stayed in touch and have come to be very close friends, we only see or hear from M occasionally but she’s always mentioned every time we meet up.

Also in the last 12 years Pop has had to deal with the fact that those mysterious period pains were in fact the symptoms of Endometriosis. A condition where a tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other area’s of the body – it’s an extremely painful condition that many sufferers have been brushed aside with a “period pain – PMT” diagnosis.

Despite her pain Pop is running 5k on Sunday in aid of Endometriosis UK you can sponsor her here!! She has so far raised £1080 – not bad for someone who has trouble leaving the house – most of this money raised has been donated by her huge twitter following! If nothing else visit the donation page just to read her plea or see her blog at http://popgoespop.blogspot.com/

Endometriosis is still frequently undiagnosed for years and women suffer with not only the physical pain but the emotional turmoil of too many hormones raging through their bodies and in some cases the heart ache of some never being able to have children. Because of all this Pop has been come a hero of mine, and I hope you’ll admire (& support!) her as much as I do!

L x