Heidi S thought she was coping.
For years, she endured heavy bleeding, clots, anaemia, and crippling pain. She pushed through work, sport, and daily life. “Our mentality as Greek women is to just carry on,” she says.
Then everything changed.
After a cyst ruptured, causing extensive internal bleeding, Heidi was hospitalised. Through specialist assessment and internal ultrasound, doctors identified Stage 4 deep infiltarating endometriosis (DIE) and adenomyosis, severe disease deeply embedded throughout pelvic tissue, affecting the ovaries, Douglas pouch, and bowel.
During the Christmas period, Heidi found herself back in hospital, fighting for breath. It was then that doctors identified worrying signs involving her right lung. A stark reminder that this disease can reach far beyond what most people understand.
“I didn’t know,” Heidi says quietly. “If they had opened me up earlier, you would have had to be blind not to see it. It had been going on for years.”
Today, Heidi’s reality is a complex medical minefield. Endometriosis is not just “a bad period”; it is an invasive, systemic disease. On February 28, just one day before Endometriosis Awareness Day (March 1), she faces gruelling, life-altering surgery: a total hysterectomy combined with extensive excision of lesions that have anchored her organs together. This isn’t about managing pain anymore, it’s about survival. Every day of delay risks irreversible organ damage.
The cost of a cure
Despite the severity, the path to health is blocked by a staggering financial wall. Because her condition is classified as pre-existing, neither Medicare nor private insurance will cover the gap. Heidi faces upfront specialist and surgical fees exceeding $25,000, a figure that doesn’t include hospital stays, months of recovery, or essential follow-up care.
“Heidi is the one who usually carries the weight for everyone else,” says Edward Broadbent, her close friend and Go Fund Me campaign organiser.
“She is fiercely independent, proud, and, quite frankly, the last person to ever ask for help. But we are at the knife’s edge. I insisted we start fundraising. She simply cannot face this mountain alone.”
Edward watched as Heidi quietly began selling her belongings to fund her own survival. He knew he had to step in despite her reluctance.
“The amount we’re asking for is modest compared to the true mountain of debt this illness creates,” he explains. “But it’s the difference between her getting surgery in May or watching her health collapse entirely.”
Heidi is a much-loved part of Melbourne’s Greek community, a creative force, known for her “show up for everyone” attitude. Now, despite not wishing to share her name widely, that community is showing up for her. Organisations like Heliades and local supporters have already contributed, helping lift a burden she has carried alone for too long.
Edward adds, “Heidi is well known but also private, so people are finding out without her having to publicise the campaign.”
Heidi, whose work has also paused due to her health, admits, “I never thought I’d be the one on the receiving end. But the generosity, the kind words, the donations—it’s the first time in a long time I’ve actually felt hopeful.”
What has impressed Heidi is the support of people. “Through all of this, I discovered friendships I didn’t even know were there. People who stepped forward with so much kindness. It’s been humbling in ways I can’t fully put into words.”
As March 1 marks Endometriosis Awareness Day, Heidi’s story is a raw reminder that this disease requires more than awareness, it requires action.
Though the fundraiser is nowhere near what is necessary for Heidi’s surgery, Broadbent says every contribution brings her closer to the urgent care she needs and the chance to reclaim her life.
