Lindsay is a policy analyst for the BC provincial government, Mom to two kids, owner of many dogs and has been involved in women’s health advocacy for almost ten years.
From age 13 to 34, Lindsay suffered in pain. Endless doctors’ appointments, emergency room visits, exams, ultrasounds, and CT scans only resulted in the phrase “you just have bad periods” or “pain is part of being a woman – periods hurt”. Doctors put Lindsay on hormonal birth control to lessen the pain, but over time her pain returned with a vengeance. For three weeks out of every month, every part of her body hurt. She lived with a heating pad pressed against her, took pain killers until her stomach lining deteriorated and spent most of her days curled up in bed rather than enjoying time with her young family. Until one day, Lindsay switched care providers and was asked “have you ever heard of endometriosis?”. The diagnosis and treatment were life changing. Now, three years post-op from excision of endometriosis and a hysterectomy at BC Women’s Hospital, Lindsay is working to ensure young people are aware of endometriosis and feel empowered to push for the best care possible. After living for over 20 years in pain, with no idea why, Lindsay hopes her work with EndoAct will increase practitioner knowledge about the disease and lead to more timely diagnosis and treatment for patients.