I’ve suffered from severe endometriosis and complications to other major organs due to this horrific disease. I’ve had 4 surgeries total thus far, the past two with my superhero surgeons in NYC, who have quite literally saved my life twice now. I’ve regained quality of life and massive pain relief each time I’ve had surgery with them which we’ve been so thankful for. This entire past year, I’ve been much better physically speaking, but have needed to focus on healing from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which was initially caused by medical malpractice, neglect, and failure to have proper diagnosis/treatment of this disease for decades of my life.

About 6 weeks ago, intense and very familiar pain made its way back into my life. At this time, my husband and I, alongside our families and amazing support systems, have ruled out any other possible causes of this pain. This has led us back to NYC. We, alongside my amazing surgeons in NYC, have decided that another and hopefully final surgery is quite necessary at this point. Although it’s only been a year and a half since my last surgery, this pain is so severe that I’ve been bedridden for 6 weeks now and because of this long road we’ve endured, it’s time to put an end to this pain and hope to regain my quality of life once and for all.

We’re asking for your help because this disease and proper surgical techniques are not yet recognized by insurance companies; therefore, we have to pay out of pocket each time surgical intervention is needed. We don’t take asking for donations lightly, nor have we ever done this in the past, but we truly need help now. My surgery is scheduled for Friday, March 7th in NYC. My surgeons will be doing a complete hysterectomy with removal of my right ovary and fallopian tube (the last ovary and tube remaining), complete excision of any regrowth of endometriosis lesions, removal of scar tissue/adhesions, and will be interrogating every other organ in my abdomen/thoracic cavity to make sure nothing is missed. I’ll likely be in the hospital for several days following the surgery, and we will need to be in NYC for almost two full weeks total in a hotel for pre-op/post-op appointments.

My husband Justin and I have lost so much over the years to this disease, and we refuse to let it take anything else away. It’s time to close this chapter so that I can keep moving forward with my life. I have so many hopes and dreams that have been obliterated because of my health; it’s time to regain control and continue to be courageous enough to choose my health as a top priority.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and whether you can donate or not, please know your support, thoughts, and prayers are all appreciated so much. After healing, I plan to continue writing my memoir in hopes of aiding other people with this horrible disease and leading them to proper medical help. My biggest hope with my book is that it will be someone else’s lifeline, prevent someone else's loss of fertility, prevent destruction of major organs, and prevent loss of quality of life. If what I’ve endured can help one person find proper medical care, it will be meaningful to me. The wrath of this disease is more than pain, it completely derailed my life as well as tens of millions of other women. It’s time to find new meaning alongside my incredibly supportive and loving husband, and our amazing families/support systems.

With Love & Gratitude,

Mikka & Justin