The Connected Life

In 2023 we asked 22 South, Southeast and East Asian women living in British Columbia, Canada to share their stories of having endometriosis during the Covid-19 pandemic through photography. Though it looked a little different during the pandemic, connection was found to be an essential component of the lives of people with endometriosis.

Many described both the benefits and challenges of navigating the social world with endometriosis.

Content Sensitive – some photos and captions depict images of fertility.

During the pandemic, I got married. My wife and I started talking about starting a family, but the pain I was in prevented me from considering bearing a child on my own.

My new friend who I share my pain with. Ben, comforts me to this day with my pain and fatigue.

I’ve wanted to start a family with my husband beyond cats, so when I got pregnant, not only was I happy but also wondered how am I going to care for a baby when I’m falling apart at times.

This is a Korean statue located in North Vancouver. I took this photo while in the area but this made me homesick. At that time, I was considering getting a surgery in Korea where my parents are.

This kind of acute pain makes you feel alone because no one in my life was experiencing something similar. After a while, I didn’t want to talk about how bad it hurt, so I kept it all to myself.

My husband would massage my back and abdomen every month when I have my period. It does help me to feel better with the pain.

This is a picture of food (soup, snacks rice etc) my parents sent me right before my surgery. They couldn’t come to care for me post-surgery so instead they sent me a package food so that I don’t have to cook after surgery.

Getting a surgery during pandemic: no care-giver. No one to take care of my hair after surgery or everything else.

My night out 6 months after my surgery. I was having a fun time without any pain.

I took this photo while having coffee at my family friend’s backyard. This was one of the rare moments where I felt content and happy. It was a peaceful afternoon.

Rex is my best friend as he always be there for me in such a good and bad time. He has comforted me even when no one understands what I have been through.

The pandemic felt like there were weeks and months of just grey, and there were countless days spent here, in bed – with my little family at my side. My husband brought home two kittens to help me grieve my diagnosis and infertility, they’ve been my comfort “kids” ever since.

A date with my husband has a plan B in case of how I end up feeling. Plan B is hanging out on the couch with a heat pad, movie, hot chocolate and our cat.

I used to feel terrible anytime I had an endo flare up. I would just sit around the house in my pjs with a hoodie, and feel super depressed, only my dog would cheer me up.

This was around the time I had my first surgery, my dog was a big part of my journey because he helped support me through this process, and kept me sane and not too depressed.

This represents the religious indoctrination that my extended family ascribes to, and the constant urge to “pray about it”. There’s an ignorance about the very real medical and biological components of my pain and endometriosis,……..Regardless of whether or not I wanted children, Motherhood and sacrifice are at the cornerstone of Catholic and Filipino family values.

Out of some of the darkest days of lockdown, limited access to medical professionals and usual coping strategies … there’s hope and light at the end of the tunnel. My happy place is with my chosen family – with my two emotional support humans in this photo – in a vibrant and freedom filled week at my favourite music festival and I’m reminded that even in the moments I can’t leave my apartment, or the bath tub… there is still so much to be grateful for and there are so many more moments to cherish.