31/08/2026
🌻 BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS — AND BEYOND WHAT I IMAGINED 🌻
I’m still trying to process what happened on Saturday. 🥹💛
When I started planning Beyond The Diagnosis, my hope was simple: to create a safe space where women could come together, learn, ask questions, share their experiences and feel seen beyond their diagnoses.
But what happened in that room was so much more.
We had healthcare professionals who didn't simply arrive, speak and leave.
🧠 Louise van Wingerden, Clinical Psychologist, stayed engaged with us and became part of the conversation. She brought such warmth and insight to the emotional side of living with chronic illness.
👩🏾⚕️ Dr Phuti Khomotso Ratshabedi, Specialist Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, came in with such a relatable, warm and down-to-earth energy that honestly… sometimes you could forget we were sitting with a specialist! 😂
He had that “nice guy next door” energy, and everyone connected with him so naturally. There was laughter, honesty, questions and genuine conversation.
And both of them stayed for almost the entire event. ❤️
That meant so much to me.
🌼 Corli Bruni, our Women's Health & Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist, didn't just speak to us about the body — she brought equipment and actually took us through breathing exercises.
For a moment, we weren't just sitting and listening.
We were breathing. We were slowing down. We were learning how to reconnect with our bodies. 🫶🏾
We also heard from women with lived experience, including Endometriosis activists reminding us that behind every diagnosis is a real person with a real story.
And then there were the questions.
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS. 😂😭
And that is exactly what I wanted.
Because Beyond The Diagnosis was never meant to be a lecture.
It was meant to be a conversation.
A conversation about the things we don't always talk about:
💛 Mental health
💛 Chronic pain
💛 Pelvic health
💛 Women's health
💛 Relationships
💛 Family
💛 Identity
💛 Being heard
💛 Being believed
💛 Learning to live beyond a diagnosis
I walked into that event feeling incredibly sick, dizzy and completely exhausted.
But I walked away with my heart so full.
To every speaker who gave their time.
To every woman who shared her story.
To everyone who asked a question.
To everyone who listened.
To everyone who donated.
To everyone who helped behind the scenes.
THANK YOU. 🙏🏾💛
And to the women who were sitting in that room wondering if anyone truly understands what they're going through:
We see you.
We hear you.
You are not your diagnosis.
You are so much more.
This was only the beginning. 🌻
BEYOND THE DIAGNOSIS
Educate • Support • Empower
💛 Endometriosis Awareness & Dignity SA
