Million Woman March for Endometriosis 2014

I cannot believe that it has been a month since my family and I drove up to Washington D.C. to be apart of the Million Woman March for Endometriosis!

In the car getting ready to go!
March 13th at 5:30am we woke up, packed up the car, and after a quick pit stop we were on our way! We had two cars going, in our car was myself, Tyrone, and Haleigh and in car number two was my sister - Angela, her best friend - Cassie, and Cassie's little one - Junior. Our plans were to get to the parking garage around 9am, then walk the short distance to the Auditorium where the educational symposium would be. From there we would walk to where the March would be around 11:30. We all know what happens with the best laid plans. We ended up getting to the parking garage at 10, however, my sister was not at the garage and her phone was about to die.


We waited in the building above the parking garage to hear from them. I did an awesome job, if I do say so myself, of not freaking out on anyone about missing the symposium (okay maybe I did just an okay job of this...). When we finally got a hold of Angela they had parked a few miles away. We attempted to figure out how to get to them and then to the National Mall where the march was being held. IT. WAS. FREEZING! I guess it wouldn't have been so horrible if the wind wasn't so strong. We had to stop in a local souvenir shop to pick up hats and scarves because we were not expecting it to be SO cold.

At 12pm, we FINALLY made it to where the Call to Action Ceremony was taking place. So, we were 3 hours behind, but all of a sudden none of it mattered, because in front of me was a sea of people in yellow, who were all there to support the same cause. It's a month later and I'm still tearing up thinking about it.


We sat there and listened to amazing stories and testimonies from these strong, incredible women. Many, of whom, brought me to tears. As I listened to all of their stories, the one thing that stood out for me was the feeling of 'I am NOT alone!' We all heard from doctors who told us, this is NOT normal, you should NOT have to live like this, WE want to HELP you. You read that right, Doctor's who want to help. I didn't realize how little faith I truly had in all the doctors I have seen until I heard these men and women speak.


After many inspiring speeches, it was time to get on our feet and dance to Sheryl Crow's amazing and uplifting music. She was incredible and gave us that extra needed energy, after sitting in the cold, to get up and march for ourselves, fellow, and future Endo sisters.




We marched a small ways down the National Mall, crossed over the Mall, and received our medals for completing the walk. Honestly, I was super excited to be getting a medal for walking. After we got our medals we were pointed in the right direction and continued on to Mellon Auditorium.





We spent the next few hours defrosting while eating appetizers, dancing, and meeting new friends. Now, to be honest, my daughter made more friends then I did. Two people she now calls her best friends are Stephanie March (I am SO upset I did not get a picture of her holding her hand or talking with her) and Meredith aka "the pretty lady with the tutu who dances with me." Haleigh had a great time dancing with everyone.



By the time we reached the Auditorium, my pain level was high. Okay, my pain level was really high. I am so upset that I wasn't able to walk around and talk to people, make more friends, or dance with my little one. I feel like instead of soaking in all the great awesomeness, at the end of the night, I was just getting more and more upset over the fact that I wasn't able to do what I wanted to. Thinking back now, it is so silly to get upset over being in pain in the one place where people understand my pain. However, I wanted to take in everything I could from this experience and I was getting upset over being in pain, then getting frustrated with being upset over being in pain. A horrible cycle, that most Endo-sister's have been in before. I eventually was shaken out of it by a wonderful woman who came upon me sitting down and decided to share her story. Which prompted more women to stop by and chat and tell part of their stories. I absolutely love the community we have built together. That's one huge thing that brought me out of my frustration - no matter what, I am a part of this community and now have the ability to share our experiences and stories together.

It was a crazy amazing whirl-wind of a day and I was so sad to see it end. I didn't want to go back to the hotel, knowing I was going home the next day. Still, I knew as soon as I got home, I would be planning on how to be apart of this again next year. Thank you to everyone who made this happen, to everyone who made it or tried to, who walked or strolled, to those who have this disease and those who support us. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!


Since it was just posted I'll share it here: If you would like to watch the Endo March you can right here.

Can't wait to see you all next year! June 13th here we come!






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