Deborah Bush is well known in the global endometriosis
community for her work with adolescents and her menstrual
education programme, Me, which is contributing to a
reduction in delay to diagnosis in New Zealand. The
diagnostic delay of endometriosis can be up to 11 years
in some healthcare settings. Results from the me programme
show an increase in young women being diagnosed, treated
appropriately and managed well.
Deborah Bush said the grant would go
towards developing a new "funky and interactive"
teen website for adolescents with endometriosis. The
website is due for launch very soon and should be a
wonderful resource for young women, their parents and
health professionals the world over.
Getting this recognition for her tireless
work is well deserved indeed! She was delighted but
not surprised to get the award. “What surprises
me is that endometriosis is not taken more notice of,"
she said. “it’s such a prevalent condition,
affecting tens of thousands of New Zealand women and
girls. A drive for the New Zealand government to acknowledge
endometriosis and the work of ENZ is currently underway”.
Deborah Bush co-founded Endometriosis
New Zealand 23 years ago in Palmerston North, and now
acts as its chief executive. ENZ is the national organisation
now based in Christchurch. ENZ receives no government
funding, relying solely on charitable grants.
|
