Out of Country ENDOMETRIOSIS Excision Surgery Fund

Powered by

Endometriosis affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide. Delayed diagnosis from the onset of symptoms, lack of proper care and dismissal from medical professionals leads many patients down the road of feeling isolated, not getting the right answers and sometimes receiving care when it's too late - leaving organs affected and quality of life severely impacted.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, access to consultations and surgeries has been significantly reduced, leading many to consider going out of country to receive the care they need in a timely manner. Excision is currently the gold standard for surgically treating endometriosis.

Women with endometriosis from Issue 3 of FemEvolve Magazine. From left to right: Jessie Sousa, Vinita Puri, Christina Paruag, Sarah Forrest, Maia Leggott. Photography by Simone Lyn.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

This fund aims to provide a maximum of $20,000 CAD each to five recipients to be used toward an out of country endometriosis surgery with an excision specialist ANYWHERE globally between January 2021 - December 2022.

Applications will be reviewed by the organizer and a panel of doctors, listed below. Chosen recipients will be based upon the severity of illness and the need for access to care, particularly to those who are struggling financially.

At least one spot will be reserved for a BIPOC individual, as people of colour face many barriers in receiving proper care. The remaining spots are open to anyone applying.

Nominate yourself or a loved one. Applications close June 15th, 2021. Read rules and eligibility by clicking below.

Rules & Eligibility

Gofundme page

Featured in

Looking for an expert excision surgeon? Read more about the amazing surgeons that are partnering on this initiative to help review applications and enable more endometriosis patients to receive the care they need.

dR. pETER bARTON-sMITH (LONDON, UK)

Peter Barton-Smith established The Endometriosis Clinic in London in 2016 in order to provide exemplary and sympathetic help to women suffering from pelvic pain and endometriosis. He believes that too often endometriosis is treated by general gynaecologists and there is a need for specialist care to get the best results.

He has been practising Medicine for over 23 years and has been working with endometriosis since 2004, and exclusively with endometriosis since 2013.

He trained in surgery for complex severe endometriosis during a four-year fellowship at the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford from 2004-2008 where he also completed a Doctorate degree in Endometriosis at the University of Surrey.

Peter established the first UK Robotic Gynaecological Surgery Programme in 2009 at the Royal Surrey before moving to Singapore General Hospital from 2013-2016 as a Senior Consultant to establish a robotic surgery programme specialising in complex surgery for endometriosis and has one of the largest series of cases worldwide.

Peter was a founding member and President of BIARGS (British and Irish Association of Robotic Gynaecological Surgeons) and was Vice President of Society of European Robotic Gynaecological Surgery. He was a founding member of the Asian Society of Gynaecological Robotic Surgery. He was co-organiser of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists UK national theory course for laparoscopic surgery from 2006-2012, a faculty member of the European Surgical Institute, and has taught and been an invited speaker on robotic surgery and endometriosis in many countries around the world.

*Dr. Peter Barton-Smith has confirmed that recipients who select him as their surgeon will receive a discounted rate.

Dr. Ken Sinervo (ATLANTA, GEORGIA)

CEC Medical Director Dr. Ken Sinervo is known worldwide not only as an expert endometriosis surgeon, but more importantly, as a humble, compassionate doctor who truly cares for all of his patients from every walk of life and every corner of the globe. He has won countless awards for his dedicated service, and is known to always go above and beyond for all those in his care, as well as for the endometriosis community at large. He is dedicated to improving lives, in any way that he can, for as many people with endometriosis as he can.

Dr. Sinervo considers it a blessing and privilege to work with his thousands of patients from over 60 countries. A world-class Board-Certified surgeon, he also serves as a committed teacher and mentor. He is beloved by his patients and staff alike, and leads his team by example through high integrity and dedication to true patient care. He is the winner of countless patient awards and peer recognition, including being named to IAOBGYN’s list of “Top Obstetricians & Gynecologists from around the World” and receiving “Top Doctor,” "Top 10 Doctors," "Most Compassionate Physician," "Patient's Choice," "Best in Atlanta" and countless other honors. He has been awarded, for 7 years in a row, the Vitals.com "Patient's Choice" honor - a distinction earned by less than 1% of all physicians in the U.S. He was also previously elected by his peers to serve as Vice Chairman, and later the 2016-17 Chairman, of the Endometriosis & Reproductive Surgery Special Interest Group (SIG) of the AAGL, the world's leading association for Minimally Invasive Gynecology. Dr. Sinervo maintains, however, that the greatest reward of his work is to be able to make a positive impact on the quality of life for all the individuals he treats. He considers himself extremely fortunate for the opportunity to serve his diverse patient population through a combination of surgery, continuous care and compassion for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

Dr. Jeff arrington (ATLANTA, GEORGIA)

Dr. Jeff Arrington is a widely recognized expert in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and advanced excision of endometriosis. Since his Fellowship training, he has continued to challenge his knowledge and surgical skills to help patients with "hopeless" cases of disease. His dedicated insight and compassion makes him a leader in endometriosis; he understands the frustration, hopelessness and fear that so many patients have experienced as a result of the disease - and he is prepared to help. He advocates for patients every day both in and out of his OR. Dr. Arrington is known for his compassion and support of all those struggling with endometriosis, and he is much beloved by his patients.

Dr. Arrington graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin. During medical school, he found an affinity for minimally invasive, laparoscopic surgery and was drawn to Obstetrics & Gynecology after completing his medical school rotations. Still, surgery was his favorite part. During residency in Phoenix, he found opportunities to learn from advanced laparoscopic surgeons and to push for advancement of laparoscopic procedures. He was given an honorary membership to the AAGL for excellency in minimally invasive surgery during his third year of residency.

After graduating residency, Dr. Arrington had the incredible honor to study under the internationally renowned surgeon, C.Y. Liu, MD. He spent a year operating side by side with one of the pioneers of gynecologic laparoscopy and during his fellowship, Dr. Arrington gained experience with all types of advanced laparoscopic procedures including but not limited to hysterectomy, pelvic prolapse, fibroid surgery and surgical excision of endometriosis.

After returning home, Dr. Arrington began practicing general Ob/Gyn with a focus on minimally invasive surgery. Due to patient need and his desire to focus on pelvic pain and endometriosis, he stopped delivering babies years ago to focus on women’s surgery. Since 2005, Dr. Arrington has been instrumental in advancing minimally invasive surgical care across the state of Utah; he also personally performed many “firsts” for Utah state and the Intermountain Region. He was the highest volume robotic surgeon in Utah before moving to the Center for Endometriosis Care.

Dr. Gabriel Mitroi (Bucharest, romania)

Bucharest Endometriosis Centre, team leader, Dr Gabriel Mitroi, is a consultant gynaecological oncologist and laparoscopic surgeon. Due to his professional interest in endometriosis, he founded an integrated endometriosis centre, bringing together a team of experts from a range of specialities, focusing on endometriosis, adenomyosis, and other benign gynopathologies such as fibroids and ovarian cysts.

Dr Mitroi provides the following services: laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, myomectomy, hysterectomy, ovarian cystectomy, oophorectomy. He is also specialised in treatment of cervical, ovarian and endometrial cancer. You can keep up with his work by following his social media channels (Dr. Gabriel Mitroi) Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn and personal medical webpage – Dr Gabriel Mitroi.

Dr Gabriel Mitroi is one of the best and most known endometriosis specialists in Romania. His services and expertise in the fields of endometriosis surgery are sought by patients from different countries. As the coordinator of the medical team, Dr Mitroi's responsibility is to ensure that surgical treatment is delivered according to international medical safety and care standards. He has years of experience as a surgeon and has performed thousands of surgeries. With a passion for difficult and challenging cases, Dr Mitroi aims to use minimally invasive techniques on most of his patients.

Due to the multiple surgical specialities and skills obtained by direct involvement or observation in the operating room, Dr Mitroi can perform a “1 man” type surgery. Spending most of his time operating or shadowing other doctors, he developed a manual dexterity and a thorough knowledge of anatomy, reducing considerably the time and the resources in the operating room.

DR. MASAHIDE KANAYAMA (NEW YORK, NY)

Dr. Kanayama is a leading expert specialist in endometriosis treatment and gynecological surgery.

After graduating from the Mayo Clinic (Mayo graduate school of medicine and trainings in gynecologic surgery), he moved to New York to establish New York Endometriosis Center. He has concentrated his areas of special expertise in laparoscopic excision of endometriosis since 1998.

He has innovated and developed his unique advanced laparoscopic (non-robotic), "tactical excision" on severe endometriosis cases and his "uterus-sparing" adenomyosis excision technique.

He has performed over 6,700 successful endometriosis excision cases and his patients come from not only all 50 US states, but also from many nations like Canada, UK, Norway, Germany, Africa, Middle East, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, South America, and Australia.

In 2016, in order to help all endo sisters globally, he established his own Instagram site @newyorkendometriosis. From here, he shares the facts, endometriosis excision information and awareness to all global endo sufferers.

His dedication and commitment is for the healing of his endometriosis patients. His practice philosophy is deeply rooted in Mayo Clinic tradition of "humility" and "dedication to patients care, "Patient's needs come first" (Drs. Mayo).

Christina Paruag - endometriosis advocate, public speaker & campaign organizer

My name is Christina and I created this fund to help more individuals like myself to recieve proper care, the care that they deserve.

After facing endometriosis symptoms for 17 years and waiting 11 years to be diagnosed in Canada, being dismissed and going from one misdiagnosis after another, I grew passionate about women's health. I completed an undergraduate degree in medical physics, learned about medical imaging and presented a thesis on breast cancer radiation therapy. I've worked in healthcare, epilepsy and stroke research, volunteered with various science and kidney disease foundations and seen how valuable advocacy truly is.

In 2016, I started having a series of kidney infections - it became a monthly occurrence and I was told by doctors that if I continued to take antibiotics, they would eventually go away. After approx. 30 infections, nothing seemed to cure them. I went into septic shock from an infection and almost died, telling myself that no one's health should ever reach this point due to dismissal from doctors.

In 2018, I launched a wellness platform and magazine called FemEvolve, aiming to help women gain a better understanding of their health while learning to love themselves more. I did numerous speeches, on small and large stages, to share my health experiences in an effort to help others going through something similar. I later transitioned my brand to focus solely on events and started doing business and event consulting, but endometriosis was constantly tugging at my heartstrings, calling me back.

The kidney infections continued relentlessly, and no matter what I tried, the intensity and severity of my pain seemed to be getting worse each month. Coupled with lung symptoms and ruptured ovarian cysts, I spent four years trying to get a surgery in Canada, being told that my case was now too severe or complex, or that I'd need to wait an additional 1-2 years for surgery, even though I was earlier informed that my kidney was at risk of failing.

In December 2019, I found Dr. Peter Barton-Smith through a Facebook group called Nancy's Nook and felt some hope again. My family doctor encouraged me to apply for Out of Country funding and we were denied by our provincial health care system right before my surgery. I was devastated, but through the support of my boyfriend, we launched a Gofundme campaign, which helped me to cover my surgery costs. I thought about how lucky I was, but grew saddened thinking that not everyone has a big network like myself that can help them raise these funds.

My Gofundme campaign and struggles with receiving funding through OHIP in Canada were covered by CTV News and my story went viral. Thousands of messages were coming to me from people all over the world, people who wanted to go out of country but lacked the funding and support to do so.

My experiences came full circle and I decided to help more people gain their lives back, just as I've been able to. I hope to continue to run this OOC Excision Fund under my business FemEvolve once I relaunch it as a wellness platform, with a portion of my profits going to others who require surgeries for endometriosis and other health conditions out of country in a timely manner.

All funds will be donated in memory of my aunt, Bibi Pamela Deen Manbodh, an extraordinary woman who passed away in her early 50's from pancreatic cancer, just three weeks after being diagnosed. Her doctors had continuously dismissed her and misdiagnosed her with a benign tumor. My aunt would've wanted nothing more but for others to receive care in a timely manner, something that she wasn't given. Learn more about her story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXb9IHg5z2U&t

I hope that this fund will help you, or your loved one, to have surgery with a skilled excision surgeon, and lead to an overall better quality of life, as I've been so lucky to experience.

FAQs

When will you reopen applications?

As of right now, we're not planning on reopening the applications as it was started due to the longer pandemic wait times. We're still working hard to fundraise at least $20K CAD and there's no gurantee funding can be provided until this has been raised.

For those aiming to go out of country for surgery soon, try looking into a low-interest loan through your bank, or starting a Gofundme if you have a support system that would be able to donate.

What's the application process like?

Send in your application through the "Apply Now" button at the top of the page. The deadline to receive applications is June 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Applications will be reviewed and recipients chosen by the first week of September. If $20K is raised before September to fund a surgery, the first recipient will be notified. The number of applicants is dependent on how much is fundraised. Due to a high volume of applications, you may not be notified if your application is not chosen. If chosen, you'll be invited to interview with me so I can learn more about your current situation. You may also be required to send in additional medical documentation. After our interview, I'll be reviewing your case with the excision specialists and you'll be notified through email in September if you'll be receiving the funds, at which point it will be transferred to you.

I'm concerned about travelling during the pandemic. Can I have surgery within a few months from now?

I understand the concern about travelling and the pandemic - this fund is for a 2021 or 2022 surgery, so you can fly/travel when numbers will hopefully be lower.

What if my surgery is more or less than $20K CAD?

A maximum of $20K CAD will be given to each chosen recipient to help offset surgery costs. If the surgery costs are more than $20K and your application is chosen, the remaining surgery fees are the responsibility of yourself/the nominee. If the surgery costs are less than $20K, the remaining amount is yours to put toward your travel, accommodations, food, or any debt you/the nominee have accumulated due to endometriosis.

Do I have to have surgery done with one of the surgeons listed above?

No. These specialists are listed to help you discover skilled endometriosis surgeons if you want to go out of country and don't have a surgeon in mind yet. They are some of the top excision surgeons in the world! They are also partnering on this initiative to help review applications and enable more endometriosis patients to receive the care they need.

Can I go out of province or state rather than out of country?

Yes. Out of country surgeries will be prioritized, although we recognize that some people simply want to go to another province or state as they can't find a specialist close to home. We encourage you to still apply and indicate where you would like to go.

Will the fund cover me if I have any complications during/after surgery?

No. The fund is a maximum of $20K CAD. All additional fees are the responsibility of the patient and it's up to the patient to research all potential complications and discuss with their surgeon prior to surgery.

What can the funds be used toward?

The funds are to cover the cost of the surgery by paying your/the nominee's surgeon(s) and your hospital costs. Additionally, you/the nominee can use it toward your travel, accommodations, food or any debt you've accumulated due to endometriosis.

Why can't these surgeries be offered at reduced cost or pro bono?

After going through my surgery, I saw that a large portion of the cost goes to the hospital to cover medications, equipment and the facilities. The surgeon fees are a lot less in many cases. Excision specialists, such as the ones listed above, have been studying and practicing for years. It takes a great deal of patience and skill to perform these surgeries, and I believe surgeons should be fully compensated for their high level of care. This fund is a way to minimize costs for the patient and enable surgeons to receive full compensation too.

What if my surgery is before the application deadline?

You can still apply. No prior approval is needed. You can be reimbursed for some or all of your costs through the $20K if your application is chosen, as long as your surgery is sometime during 2021. Recipients will be announced in 2021, if at least $20K CAD is raised during this time.

How will I recieve the funds if I'm chosen?

The full $20K CAD will be transferred to you/the nominee by wire transfer, contingent upon providing a consultation letter for an upcoming or past surgery (2021/2022) and medical documentation detailing your/the nominee's current quality of life. Full details will be coordinated with all recipients once chosen.

Resources

The following are a few resources available to help you navigate your experiences with endometriosis and find additional support.

Nancy's Nook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NancysNookEndoEd

The Endometriosis Foundation of America

https://www.endofound.org/

The Endo Educational Organization of Canada

https://endocanada.org/

The Endometriosis Network Canada

https://endometriosisnetwork.com/

Living with Endometriosis

https://www.facebook.com/groups/livingwithendo