The teacher and writer, Karina Gálvez Vargas, decided to embark on the adventure of writing her autobiography titled “Between lights and shadows – the strength of a warrior.” This book, which narrates his personal battle with endometriosis, a disease that affects women of childbearing age and is little known in Chileseeks not only to share their experiences, but also to inform about this pathology.
Endometriosis, also known as ”white cancer”, is a disease that can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it difficult to achieve pregnancy, which It affects more than 400 thousand women in Chile. This has been a constant shadow in Karina’s life, bringing with it serious physical and emotional consequences.
Since his adolescence, Gálvez has had a passion for writing. Initially, he began writing fragments of his history and other experiences, without a clear diagnosis of his condition. He decided to divide his experiences into three books so as not to mix them, although at that time his work lacked a title. It was in 2006, already with a clear diagnosis but without a definitive solution, when the author decided to publish her book. However, 17 years passed before he found an answer to his condition.
“Between lights and shadows – the strength of a warrior” It seeks to fill the lack of information that exists in the health system and help other women find solutions regardless of their age. ”The pain was disabling and unfair. Mental health was something as complicated to deal with as physical health. At the age of 20, I ended up with severe depression, because I couldn’t understand why I came into the world to suffer, without being able to measure from the time I was 11 and a half years old the sudden blow that life gave me,” comments the author.
Karina relates that, in the social sphere, endometriosis led her to suspend various activities in which she interacts during each stage of life. However, the most significant impact occurred in the workplace, where the disease had the greatest repercussions.
”How to explain to my peers and bosses what I was experiencing physically and emotionally, it was unthinkable to give an explanation without knowing what was happening to me, if I didn’t have a clear answer either. Just mention that my periods were long, of indescribable pain, with a lot of flow, with the fear of passing through my clothes and with the swelling of my abdomen that seemed to be a few months pregnant.”
In his book, Gálvez mentions that, Before receiving the correct diagnosis, he was given several erroneous ones, which he fully trusted. Finally, when they gave him the final diagnosis, they informed him that he had endometriosis, a disease with no cure. They only told her that she should take pills a few days before and during her period, without offering any other solution.
”That answer was when I was 28 years old. At 42 years old, during an annual check-up, a gynecologist told me about some hormones that could alleviate my discomfort, after more than 33 years of indescribable pain. That treatment changed my life physically and mentally. I closed the long parenthesis that I had opened when I was 11 and a half years old.
Little visibility and knowledge
The author points out that, in Chile, Knowledge and visibility of endometriosis have improved thanks to social media and peer-to-peer information, although major challenges remain. Despite the efforts in the media, many people, even in the health field, are still not well informed about the disease.
”This pathology needs to be urgently made visible, in spaces such as health centers and schools. I have attended 10 radio programs and only 1 knew the subject.”
As a result of this problem, Karina has been in contact with him Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education to promote talks about endometriosis in educational establishments. She had a conversation with the Ministry of Health where they informed her that they are gradually working to make this pathology visible. As for the Ministry of Education, she points out that she has received guidance so that his book is considered teaching material.
It should be noted that andIn January of this year, the Endometriosis Bill was submitted, which aims to establish standards to promote and guarantee medical care for those who suffer from this disease, about which the author affirms that “the approval of the bill would be of great support for all women, especially for the new generations in achieving a timely diagnosis and providing them with treatment that gives them relief.”
”Today there are health services that treat this pathology, but it is the private system and clearly not everyone has access to a consultation. Without a doubt it is a good first instance, but there will still be things to improve and incorporate,” concludes Karina.
