Hey everybody! Madeline here.

My name is Madeline and I am sixteen, going on seventeen and I am currently a high school junior. So, some fun tidbits about me: my favorite show is The Office, I am the baby of my family, and I have a cute little beagle named Candi. I am also a nerd at heart! I love school and learning! My favorite subjects are science (specifically Chemistry and Physics!), math, and French (parlez-vous le français? Parce que je peux le parler!). Outside of school, I do science decathlon and programming club. I also act and sing, and I even received recognition for being one of the best young actors in my state last year! The most surprising thing about me, at least in my eyes, is that I am on an air rifle team for my local American Legion! Other than that, I would say I am your average run of the mill high school teen!

Now that you know a little about me, I can express how excited I am to be a guest blogger for TeenSpeak! Young women’s health is something that I am extremely passionate about, as it hits close to home for me. This past August, I had a laparoscopy at Boston Children’s Hospital, where I am currently a patient, for endometriosis. Endometriosis is an incurable disease affecting one in 10 girls where uterine tissue grows outside its normal location, the uterus. It often causes extreme, life altering, and debilitating pain. My goal here on TeenSpeak is to raise awareness as well as educate teen girls and their families on diseases like my own, as my family and I found ourselves very ignorant to my illness. Hopefully by writing here, I can help girls like me. Perhaps together we can end the stigma surrounding periods and the female reproductive system; because no one’s physical pain is excusable!

Always,
Madeline