Melinda and Troy's 2nd Honeymoon Do-over
My Travel Story
to my best friend Troy. We were married on November 10th, 2018 in Gulf Shores, Alabama on the beach. Everything was seemingly perfect with both of our families present. The only thing was on the inside, mentally and physically, I felt awful. I did not know at that time that I was suffering from stage 4 endometriosis. Endometriosis as countless women know all too well can be very painful and debilitating. I didn't feel beautiful at all. Most brides, including myself wanted to lose a few lbs to look my best at the wedding.. instead, for no apparent reason I ballooned up to around 230 lbs .. But that is often the nature of endometriosis, a disease fueled by hormones. I had been to countless doctors who could only agree on one thing that I was anemic. So I started seeing a hematologist who was instrumental in getting the ball rolling to diagnosis. It wasn't until 2022 that I was finally offered a hysterectomy that I had asked for years earlier and always denied.
I remember waking up from what I thought was going to be a quick, routine laparascopic surgery to realize it was dark outside and it was a complicated five hour surgery. My doctor explained to me about adhesions and endometriosis, but nothing really registered as I was coming out of anesthesia. But the next day he came back and I was able to understand that I had stage 4 endometriosis and he said that it looked as if someone had poured "gorilla glue" in my internal organs. That had been the cause of all my excruciating pain and my deteriorating mental state. I had everything going for me but I was profoundly depressed. It was a vicious cycle.
Most women look back at their wedding pics with joy but mine are a source of anguish. At my darkest point I even thought about cutting me out of the pictures because I could feel that girl's pain. Now that I'm feeling better, it still makes me sad but I've resolved to make it up to my husband and return to the beach and stay at the same condo where our 1st honeymoon was. Such a gorgeous place but in 2018, it was basically a place for me to lie down while the rest of the family celebrated "us".
During our marriage we have had good and bad times. Endometriosis was always a huge driving factor, a reason for not doing much of anything. My husband did not deserve that and yet he has been positive and my rock through this whole battle. Shortly after our wedding, my beloved dad was diagnosed with leukemia around the time covid started and he was so fragile. As tough as he fought, the leukemia took my dad from me. That is what turned me around on my wedding pictures. I now embrace the pic of my dad giving me away. It was his last big event. He meant the world to me. I loved him so much and as a nurse I was able to take care of him in his last days. He died June 14th, 2021.
My husband and I are both Healthcare workers. He is a respiratory therapist and I am a registered nurse. We lost friends, family and coworkers during that time.
We are praying that people will see our story and maybe be moved to donate to get us a 2nd honeymoon, one where we are both whole and able to enjoy.
Thank you for reading our story.
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$ 2,000
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$ 500
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