A summary of the Endometriosis Walk For Awareness 2000

OBGYN.net was pleased to attend the first annual Endometriosis Walk for Awareness in Washington, DC!  Attendees converged on Washington with yellow awareness ribbons, EndoWalk T-shirts and commemorative shoulder bags donated by OBGYN.net in hand, to show society that the time for awareness and a cure is now.

The Endometriosis Walk for Awareness is an event designed to raise awareness about endometriosis, an incurable immunological and hormonal disease affecting an estimated 89 million girls and women all over the world.

For those who have the disease, life is a nightmare of misinformation, myths, taboos, improper diagnoses, and problematic treatments. Although numerous theories exist, the exact mechanisms causing endometriosis have yet to be determined.  Recent research findings, however, suggest that dioxin (a group of toxic chemicals containing known cancer causing agents) is a trigger for the onset of the disease.

There are three primary goals for this event. The first goal of the Endometriosis Walk for Awareness is to give a "face" to this elusive disease.  Because endometriosis knows no boundaries, it affects girls and women of all ages. Likewise, it is a disease that afflicts a diverse group of people - far more than just Caucasian career women in the United States (as some have believed in the past). Endometriosis transcends all racial, socioeconomic and geographic barriers.

The second goal of the walk is to call attention to the need for government and private funds to be directed towards endometriosis research.  Only through key projects and scientific collaborations will the cause of endometriosis be isolated and the mechanisms for a cure be determined. Research holds the key to minimizing any further suffering of those who already have endometriosis and to giving hope to those who one day will be diagnosed with the disease.

The final goal of this event is to honor the millions of girls and women who are battling endometriosis worldwide, to salute those who have suffered (many times in silence) before us, and to give hope to all the daughters, mothers, friends and loved ones who will come after us.

The Walk, organized by Karen, Kelly, Kim, Lynn and Tammy - 5 dedicated women with Endometriosis - kicked off at the Lincoln Memorial with inspirational words from 4 prominent speakers:  OBGYN.net's own Mark Perloe, MD, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility and In Vitro Fertilization at the Atlanta Medical Center and a founding partner of Georgia Reproductive Specialists; Marc Laufer, MD, Chief of Gynecology at Children's Hospital and Chief of the Division of Pediatric/Adolescent Gynecology at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and an Assistant Professor-Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School; OBGYN.net's own Deborah A. Metzger, MD, PhD, Medical Director of Helena Women's Health; and Mary Lou Ballweg, President & Founder of the Endometriosis Association.  Each speaker's presentation revolved around the same theme:  "Hope for Today and Tomorrow."

After these inspirational speeches, Michelle Marvel, President & Founder of the Endometriosis Research Center, and Mary Lou Ballweg, President & Founder of the Endometriosis Association, unfurled the beautiful, hand-made Endometriosis Quilt. This Quilt represents the millions of women living with the disease; each square telling a story of what it is like to live with Endometriosis.

Led by Michelle Marvel and Mary Lou Ballweg, nearly 600 walkers began the 4 mile trek from the Lincoln Memorial to Capital Hill and back.  Walkers consisted not only of women with Endometriosis, but their spouses, partners, friends, parents and loved ones.  This unified front symbolized the common goals of the Walk and showed the world that Endometriosis is not an insignificant issue and cannot be treated as such.

Following the Walk, the crowd once again converged on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a short service to pay tribute to the millions of women and girls with Endometriosis all over the world and to honor the memories of Nicole Finn, a teenager with Endometriosis who committed suicide last Spring and to Arnold Kresch, MD, the Founder of Helena Women's Health and a pioneer in Endometriosis treatment, who passed away after a battle with cancer this past December.

The day ended with 2 final speeches from Ashley Bamford, Founder of the Teen Endo Support Program at Onelist, and OBGYN.net's own Heather Guidone.  Ashley and Heather both spoke on the continuing theme for the day:  "Hope for Today and Tomorrow."

OBGYN.net was pleased to be a part of this important event and will be presenting more from the Walk in the coming days!
More from Endometriosis Walk For Awareness 2000:
Speech by Mark Perloe, MD, OBGYN.net Editorial Advisor
Speech by Deborah Metzger, MD, PhD, OBGYN.net Editorial Advisor
Speech by Mary Lou Ballweg, Endometriosis Association
Speech by Marc Laufer, MD
 Speech by Heather Guidone, OBGYN.net
OBGYN.net exclusive interview with Glenda Motta, RN, MPH
 OBGYN.net exclusive interview with Barbara Bamford
 OBGYN.net exclusive interview with Carla Folz
 Photos of Walk Participants page 1
Photos of Walk Participants page 2
Photos of the Speakers
Photos of the Endometriosis Quilt

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