Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When I had the honour of becoming an Endometriosis Australia ambassador, I pledged to end the silence for the one in 10 women in our communities—and in my community—who are suffering from this insidious disease. This weekend, I will join the member for Boothby, who's the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Endometriosis Awareness, at the EndoActive conference in Sydney, where we'll hear from women who will share their experiences of living with endo—women like Monica, who has written: 'Being in pain for six to seven days straight, having a full hysterectomy because the pain is insufferable. Most days are spent in too much pain to move,' or like Emily, who wrote: 'Four days post-op from a second excision surgery, hoping the waiting between surgeries next time is longer, because surgery and recovery sucks,' or like Charlene, who wrote: 'Multiple surgeries including endo removed from the bladder, a bowel resection, having the sigmoid colon removed. Living with pain since early teens. I'm now 36,' or like Jay-me, who wrote: 'Finally diagnosed at the age of 22 after going to doctors since the age of 12. Have had five surgeries in three years, and it not only impacts my livelihood but my mental health and social health,' or like Emilie, who wrote: 'I have endo and have had five surgeries and gone through IVF to freeze my eggs. I have been in chronic pain after my last surgery, and this disease has had an impact on every part of my life.' Let's end the silence on endo.