Cries in the Dark

For anyone who’s watched Stranger Things, you’ll remember that monstrous, creeping force—the one that reaches into every corner, every shadow, every part of a person’s life. For many of us living with Endometriosis, that creature feels painfully familiar.

Endo moves through the body like an unseen invader, stretching its grip into places it has no right to be. It burns. It stabs. It spreads. It tries to break you down from the inside out until you’re left exhausted, afraid, pinned to your bed, watching the world move on without you.

And for decades—generations—those with power insisted it wasn’t real. Or that it wasn’t that bad. They dismissed the voices of those who were suffering because they couldn’t see the monster themselves… and because women’s pain simply didn’t matter to them.

When women finally began to stand up, to demand answers and dignity, the old systems fought back. They convinced even other women—those fortunate enough not to know this pain—that the warriors battling this disease were exaggerating, dramatic, or simply “too sensitive.” And far too many believed the lies.

But now? Now the truth stands in front of us like a creature lit up in the flashlight beam—undeniable, documented, irrefutable. The suffering is real. The damage is real. The monster is real.

And what we choose to do with that truth—today, right now—will reveal exactly how much we value our women, our daughters, our nieces, our cousins, our sisters. It will show the next generation whether we finally slayed the monster… or kept pretending it wasn’t there.