Macclesfield residents complete challenge to raise money for Endometriosis UK
By Jamie Griffiths
16th Apr 2024 | Local News
A Macclesfield couple have spent all of March raising money for the charity Endometriosis UK.
Gemma Barnshaw, who works as a mental health worker, and her boyfriend Dan Barnes, started their fundraising efforts in March which was endometriosis awareness month.
Gemma suffers with endometriosis, and first started to feel ill in 2018.
Now, following a recent surgery, she wants to take action to raise awareness and help other women.
"It took me four years to get a diagnosis," said Gemma.
"My journey to diagnosis started in 2018 and I had been dismissed by many doctors, given misdiagnoses such as IBS and anxiety, and told it was 'just a bad period'".
It wasn't. However, it wasn't for another three years until when Gemma was officially diagnosed, after requesting a referral to a gynaecologist following various gastrointestinal tests.
She added: "It's a lot because obviously I'm only 23 and knowing that I've got this for life and that it could come back at any time like it had in this surgery; it had grown back".
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere on the body and each month the tissue break downs and causes bleeding.
Unlike with periods, the blood gets trapped in the body with nowhere to go and over time this builds up and causes pain, scar tissue, adhesions and can even fuse organs together.
The condition can have a significant impact on women's lives and causes a huge range of symptoms.
According to Endometriosis UK, the UK's leading charity for the condition, 1 in 10 women in the UK suffer from endometriosis and the average diagnosis time is 8 years.
Gemma and Dan are passionate about educating the world on what endometriosis is and have took part in fundraising for Endometriosis UK's 1 in 10 challenge.
This challenge involves taking part in an activity and centres around the number 10.
In keeping with this challenge, Dan completed 10 sets of 10 pull ups, that's an impressive 100 pull ups every day throughout March.
Dan was keen to push himself, to try and comprehend the levels of pain Gemma has been through, as well as getting eyes and money on the cause.
He said: "At first I thought it was going to be quite easy"
"After day one I was aching as bad as you can ache".
"The story of the whole first week was I didn't get over the ache I just added more, so I was stiff for about a week but then after that it slowly got easier".
Gemma is super proud of Dan for his amazing efforts in helping raise awareness.
She said: "Only people assigned female can go through endometriosis so even though he's not been through it himself he's seen the effect it can have and how many women have it that wouldn't realise."
The pair's fundraiser has generated £170 for Endometriosis UK, and you can still donate.
As well as Dan's pull ups, they both conquered a 10km walk at Macclesfield Forest three or four weeks into her recovery despite exhaustion.
They are both also making 'little boxes of sunshine' for the first 20 donors filled with little surprises, treats and information about endometriosis awareness.
The box will include ten yellow 'thank-you' trinkets, like a bracelet with a yellow awareness ribbon.
Shuhana Zareen, Community Fundraising and Supporter Engagement Manager at Endometriosis UK, said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to Gemma and Dan for their incredible fundraising and awareness-raising in support of Endometriosis UK this Endometriosis Action Month".
"We greatly appreciate our supporters for their creativity, efforts, and commitment to the cause. It is because of Gemma, Dan, and others, that we can continue to support those affected by endometriosis and drive for change."
Gemma and Dan want to thank everyone and are grateful for the support.
Macclesfield: You can donate to Gemma and Dan's fundraiser on this link.
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