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March, 2015

chronic illness

My Battle Cry (& Giveaway!): Speaking Out For Endometriosis Awareness

Blogging For Endometriosis

 

I cannot believe that Blogging For Endometriosis Awareness 2015 campaign is over! The month blew by! I hope you have enjoyed the posts of this year’s campaign and I most definitely invite you to mark your calendars for next year’s campaign! I am really hoping to make a monthly Blogging for Endometriosis linkup so I will keep you updated with the details!

This week’s theme is: My Battle Cry: what message are you determined share with every breath that is within you to make sure the world knows the truth about endometriosis?

As I have mentioned, I love, love, love Skillet (my next tattoo will definitely be Skillet inspired). We are a total panhead family! Their song “Sick Of It” inspired this year’s theme and their song “Battle Cry” inspired this week’s theme!

You’re on the edge of giving up
You know I feel it too
You won’t be alone because
I’m with you
Bring the fire, bring the smoke, bring the rain
We will bend but we will never break

I cannot put into words how important it is to find a support community after being diagnosed with endometriosis or any chronic illness. I was lucky enough to find GirlTalk, which was a support group for ladies with endometriosis that were under 25. That group of ladies saved me in many ways. I loved that I was able to serve as the program director for several years. It is so important to know that you are not alone and have a group of people that can support you during the tough times.

It seems like no one knows
How you’ve been feeling
You’re hiding all your hopes
You stopped believing
It’s not over, we’re one step away
We will bend but we will never break

One of the other messages I want to be heard is to make your voice heard. Chronic illness is a big deal and not nearly enough is being done to correct the problem but together we can raise our voices to make a change. Together we can choose hope and make a difference.

I believe we can’t lose
Even mountains will move
It’s my faith, it’s my life
This is our battle cry
They can’t take us down
If we stand our ground
If we live, if we die
We will shout out our battle cry

Two messages that I will speak until my dying breath are 1) God’s grace and love will change your life and with it everything is possible; and 2) Endometriosis and other invisible illnesses are serious problems and more needs to be done to find long-term treatments. Education and awareness are extremely important and together we can shout our battle cry and fight for change!

Let it rise like a prayer in the night
Shout for love, shout for hope
Let them hear us

Together we can make a difference and share the love, hope, and passion in our hearts with the world!

What is your battle cry?

 

photo black-divider-no-background-hi_zps0963a1ec.png

 

It is time for the final giveaway! Congratulations to last week’s winners Cheryl, Shelley, and Nikki! You should have received an email from me so let me know if you did not receive it!

This week’s giveaway is sponsored by Seaview Jewellery and FJJ Creations! Today’s giveaway will also have 3 winners! The prizes are a beautiful endometriosis awareness keychain created by FJJ Creations and a beautiful necklace and charm both created by Seaview Jewellery! Just like last week, be sure to click over at Diane’s blog for more opportunities to win awesome prizes from Seaview Jewellery, FJJ Creations and Tabetha’s Creations!

Blogging For Endometriosis Giveaway

This week’s giveaway will run until Saturday, April 4th and 3 winners will be chosen!

To enter:

1) Leave a comment telling me about your battle cry.What message are you determined share with every breath that is within you to make sure the world knows the truth about endometriosis (or another issue important to you)? (mandatory)

2) Tweet about this post and giveaway and then leave me a 2nd comment letting me know you did & include the link to your tweet!

 

I hope your week is off to a fantastic start! Remember to take a stand this week because we’re sick of this!

blogging

Old School Blogging: Full-on Randomness About Myself

It has been awhile since I have participated in the Old School Blogging linkups over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life so I thought it was time to rejoin the fun! It always reminds me of all the surveys back in the MySpace days! This month’s theme is “full-on random” so you’ll get to learn a little bit of anything and everything about me with this post!

Let’s jump on in!

If you could be on a reality show which one would you choose?

I know its no longer on air but I always wanted to be on What Not To Wear! I’m not a complete hot mess like the usual clientele of the show but I would love to have someone help me learn the best ways to dress my body!

Name one thing you have saved from your childhood?

My Cabbage Patch doll named Bruce. He went everywhere with me as a kid and now I get to see Abby loving on him too!

If your life had a theme song what would it be?

I would have to go with “Sick Of It” by Skillet! I know its the theme of Blogging for Endometriosis Awareness this year but it covers how I feel about many things in my life. Here’s a shot of me wearing my awesome Sick Of It shirt this past weekend:

Old School Blogging - Full-on Randomness

Where is your happy place?

I want to say Disney but since I can’t go there nearly as often as I would like, I’ll go with the beach!

Old School Blogging - Full-on Randomness

What is one thing about your home that you and your spouse disagree on?

Currently we cannot find a color to paint the office/guest room that we agree on!

What is your favorite fruit?

Definitely strawberries!

Bowtie or regular tie?

Definitely regular ties! I think Ducky is the only one that can truly rock the bowtie!

Mexican or Italian (food, not men)?

Oh my goodness this is a hard one! I love, love, love them both! I just cannot decide! Both are amazing!

Where do you want to go on Summer vacation?

We are heading out in less than two weeks to enjoy a nice spring break vacation with my entire family! We are going to Gatlinburg, TN and I am so excited! The resort we are staying in has a massive indoor water park so I am pretty sure we are going to be spending a lot of time there!

Wyndham Smokey Mountain Lodge

Source: Wyndham Smokey Mountain Lodge

I would love to take a trip to the beach this summer! I would say Disney but as much as I love it, I would not ever want to go in the summer. Big crowds and Florida heat & humidity? No thank you!

What are your go-to shoes in your closet?

My black Converse All-Stars! They are so cute and comfortable! I can’t wait to break out sandals though!

 

Now that you have learned some pure randomness about me, I want to learn some pure randomness about you! If you are a blogger and join in the Old School Blogging linkup, leave me a link to your post and if you aren’t, leave some answers the comments!

P.S. Don’t forget to stop by this week’s Blogging For Endometriosis Awareness linkup to enter the giveaway for beautiful endometriosis awareness jewelry!

chronic illness

Changing The Stigma Of Endometriosis

Endometriosis-Awareness-Awareness

 

Its hard to believe that March is half over and Endometriosis Awareness Month will soon be winding down. It has done my heart good to see my Facebook feed turn yellow and see a steady stream of endometriosis awareness posts, educational articles, and resources shared so frequently. It almost me sad to think that is going to change.

I would love to see endo awareness become more of a year round thing. I obviously know that for many of us it is. I mostly definitely want Blogging For Endometriosis Awareness to become a year round campaign. I would love to have monthly linkups. Thoughts?

The theme for this week’s post is, “If I could change one thing about the stigma of endometriosis, it would be . . .”

I would love to change the stigma that endometriosis is a “female problem.” Granted it is a disease where the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the abdominal cavity and elsewhere in the body so it is obviously an issue that most predominantly affects women but somehow the stigma that its a “female problem” or a “female issue” makes it more taboo to discuss.

No one wants to talk about periods, bleeding, bloating, painful sex, and things sticking where things aren’t supposed to be stuck.

Endometriosis is not bad cramps, PMS, or crappy coping skills.

Endometriosis is a serious disease that can cause chronic and crippling pain. It often takes YEARS to receive a proper diagnosis (source).

Endometriosis is a major source of female infertility. A staggering 30-50% of infertile women have endometriosis (source).

Endometriosis often results in premature hysterectomies which often do not provide long term relief. Hysterectomies are the second leading surgery for premenopausal women (following c-sections) and a large portion of these procedures happen as a result of endometriosis (source).

In a survey conducted on the long term effects of endometriosis, 51% of the women surveyed stated that endo has affected their work and 50% stated that it has had a profound impact on their relationships (source).

These examples are just a small sampling of how greatly a woman’s life is impacted by endometriosis. I honestly believe that if endometriosis affected men in the same ways as it affects women, there would be far greater advancements in research and treatment options but because it is still considered just a “female problem” by so many, resources are limited.

I would love to see this stigma changed. It is by our efforts to raise awareness, support, and, most importantly, education about the disease that we can have a hand in changing it.

 

 

I am excited to announce that this week’s linkup post also includes a giveaway! One of our business sponsors, Seaview Jewellery, has graciously donated a beautiful necklace and charms to give away to you awesome folks! The charms can be put on a keychain or zipper pull as well as a variety of other places. This week there will be 3 winners (one will win the necklace and two others will win charms). Look at these beautiful creations:
Seaview Jewellery Endometriosis Awareness Jewelry

 

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me what stigma about endometriosis (or chronic illness in general) that you would like to see changed (mandatory)!

For an extra entry, tweet this post and then leave a comment letting me know that you did with a link to your tweet!

This giveaway will run through Friday, March 27th! You can also visit Diane’s blog for additional giveaways courtesy of Seaview Jewellery! Next week’s linkup will also feature endometriosis awareness jewelry giveaways courtesy of Seaview and our other business sponsor FJJ Creations!

 

P.S. Don’t forget to link up your post this week!

disclaimer

Information posted here should not be considered medical advice. It is not intended to replace consultation with physicians or other healthcare providers. A New Kind of Normal covers my personal experience and because every person's experience is unique, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare.

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