That is a saying a fellow Endo Warrior told me a few years ago and recently I realised exactly what she meant. You see, I recently found myself in a group of wonderful women, all brought together by Endometriosis Treks 2022!
Scrolling through the internet at the start of 2022, I knew I wanted to do something exciting with my year, but I had no idea what kind of adventures would await me. Just like that, however, I stumbled across a social media post about a trek to raise funds for endometriosis research and to raise awareness around the disease that affects 1 in 9 women, girls, and those who are gender diverse. As a woman with endometriosis, who loves to travel, explore, and impulse buy adventures, I was drawn in immediately.
The decision to walk was easy, but it was not without some big fears. For example, how am I going to be able to raise $2,500!?
Despite my nerves, I booked the trip and got to work on figuring out exactly what I needed to do to make this dream a reality.
Opening my calendar, I started to brainstorm and map out events. I knew this was not the kind of charity event that was going to fund itself overnight, I was going to have to put in some serious brain power.
The concerns around fundraising were echoed by many of my team members. However, the team at Inspired Adventures and Endometriosis Australia provided excellent guidance and support, and in no time our team was kicking fundraising goals left, right and centre. By the time we returned home from the trek, we had raised over $52,000 between us!
My advice, if you are considering trekking, is to make sure you have events in mind like:
- Trivia
- Wellness panels
- Long lunches
- Picnics
- Lotteries
- Raffles etc.
Make sure you get planning early and enlist the support of all your friends and family and if you do that, you will reach your goals in no time – just like we did!
Once fundraising was no longer a concern, I was able to really sink into the group dynamic and before long, I was joining in on regular zoom meetings, getting to know my fellow trekkers, and let me tell you, they were amazing, and the team made the whole experience so much more valuable.
Despite the group ranging so widely in ages, backgrounds, and experience with endometriosis, we all had one thing in common and that was our passion for spreading awareness and raising money.
This passion and exuberance served us so well on the trek, with a true sense of community and support and for some maybe a little bit of competition, driving us forward to the finish line.
Whether you were powering through at the front cruising, or taking in the scenery at the rear, the whole experience was life changing on such a spiritual, emotional, and physical level, with all the women, involved pushing themselves to do something that little bit different.
The sense of achievement as we crossed the finish line was audible, and all of us agreed, we had made friends for life, and a lasting impact on our endometriosis community.
So, if you are contemplating taking the journey of a lifetime – remember – endometriosis is the worst club to be in, but it is filled with some of the best people.
Join an endo trek and you will get to witness exactly that!
Written by,
Aroha, Endo Warrior and Fundraiser
Listen to Aroha on the Living with Endo Podcast here.
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