“Don’t Ovary Act” - Photo Essay

Strategy, design, content writing

“Don’t Ovary Act” explores my life living with a painful and debilitating chronic illness, that is endometriosis. After being diagnosed with endometriosis in 2011, and having tried countless remedies, as well as having gone through two surgeries, I continue to be on the lookout to find more information. Despite it being a common condition, there is a lack of research and any information that is available, is mostly outdated. This is why I am very passionate about continuing to bring more awareness to women’s health and in particular, about endometriosis.

The following pictures explore the effects of endometriosis and living with it every month. Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial-like tissue that grows outside the uterus, which leads to a chronic, inflammatory reaction (Kennedy et al., 2005). It is said that approximately one in ten girls, women and transgender individuals will develop endometriosis (endometriosisnetwork.com, 2020).  There is so much that goes unseen in this disease. It needs to be addressed because it can disable a person. It can take parts of your bowel, and your reproductive system, or in severe cases, it can grow in your lungs.

I have countless memories that haunt me from the different times I’ve been buried with pain in public and private.

As Aiello and Parry (2020) state, “visual rhetoric studies the relationship between visual images and persuasion” (p.29).

These are the pictures of my past, present and future. This illness is something that still lives on almost 18 years later for me. I hope to persuade readers visually to see the battle that I, along with many others, continue to face. The pain depicted in these pictures is a shadowed reminder that women with endometriosis do live in pain despite “a lot of doctors dismissing endo as premenstrual pain.” (Heaney, 2018).

I want to dismantle the belief that most carry. We are not crazy. This is a real illness. These pictures explore a life that goes on after diagnosis, multiple surgeries, and how countless pain killers just don’t cut it. There should be more medical options available.

As one observes each image, think about which women in your life could possibly suffer from endo. Think about how many times doctors have dismissed your illness. Will we find better medical solutions to help eliminate endo instead of just prescribing birth control pills, pushing patients to get pregnant or recommending getting a hysterectomy? Is hope an option or is it simply an illusion?