Mexican Woman Cycles Over 3,000 Miles to Raise Awareness of Endometriosis Latin American Herald Tribune
go to original October 26, 2015

A Mexican woman who has suffered from a painful medical condition known as endometriosis for 13 years has set off on the final leg of a 5,000-kilometer (3,107-mile) journey from Toronto to Tijuana, Mexico, a trip aimed at raising awareness about the disease.

Maria Gonzalez, who was diagnosed at the age of 18 and has undergone six surgeries, began her journey in Toronto on Aug. 16 without knowing how far she would be able to cycle.

“Living with endometriosis for so many years makes you very uncertain and limits you a lot because you never know when the pain will strike,” Gonzalez, affectionately known by her Facebook followers and visitors to her website EndoBike.com as “Kukis,” told EFE last week before the 60th leg of her trip, mostly through the United States.

Endometriosis, a so-called “silent disease” that mainly affects women between the ages of 25 and 40, “is the development of uterine-lining tissue outside the uterus,” according to WebMD.

“Symptoms may include abdominal pain, heavy periods and infertility,” that medical Web site says.

Roughly 10 percent of women suffer from the disease, which is difficult to diagnose, and many of them experience painful symptoms without knowing the real cause.

That reality prompted Gonzalez and her husband to launch a campaign aimed at garnering more support from the health-care industry.

Read the rest at Latin American Herald Tribune

Image: EndoBike.com

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