Yahoo Lifestyle 
Mel Greig: 'To my endo sisters, you are not alone.'
Endo sisters our day has come.
An apology from Health Minister Greg Hunt on behalf of parliament for years of suffering in silence and now a promise for change, finally our chronic illness has been acknowledged.
It was a very emotional night in Canberra as our Endometriosis Australia team watched the announcement that we have waited and fought for, for so long.
1 in 10 women suffer with endometriosis and until this day we have not been acknowledged by the government and no support has been offered.
The Federal Government announced three policies aimed at ending the silence on endometriosis which included education for young girls, funding, more awareness and the hope of Medicare options.
I remember the first time three months ago that Gai Brodtmann MP stood in Parliament House and said these words to the room: “let me tell you about endometriosis and the women that are suffering”, that first moment of feeling “hope” the hope that we can campaign hard enough to get endometriosis on the health bill.
To be acknowledged. To end the silence.
Endometriosis is when the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus, grows outside your uterus.
But the way I like to explain it is big red balls known as cysts and sticky patches that like to stick your organs together - like the time my right ovary and bowel decided to stick to each other resulting in major surgery and a bowel resection.
For me and many others endo can cause fertility issues too and pain during sex.
But the worst thing about endometriosis is the debilitating pain it causes.
When you try and walk and it feels like someone is ripping barbed wire through your reproductive system.
When you curl up in the fetal position and lie on the floor.
But how do you explain invisible pain to people?
Walk into work with a gash on your head and you’ll be sent home and told to rest.
Walk into walk hunched over and it’s a different story for some people and that is why we need to end the silence and break the stigma.
Imagine being a 13-year-old girl that is still learning about her body and doesn’t understand that she might actually have a chronic illness.
She might think that bad period pain is ‘normal’ - it’s not and that’s why we need education in schools so these young girls can understand the condition and know the signs.
To my endo sisters, you are not alone. You are not damaged goods.
Soon you will say “I have endometriosis” and everyone will know what that means and they will understand your pain.
They won’t tell you to take a Panadol and eat some chocolate.
I know how hard your journey is, it’s bigger than just the pain it’s the anguish, the mental health aspect, relationships ending because it gets ‘too hard’ for some people to deal with and it’s the frustration that there is no cure.
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