There are diseases that leave no visible signs, but dig deep inside , consuming the body and soul, transforming everyday life into a battle. Endometriosis is one of these. A chronic and debilitating disease that affects millions of women around the world, yet it is often ignored, underestimated, diagnosed years late. A delay that is measured in suffering and obstacles, in dreams questioned and hopes fragile.
Simonetta Peddio, a young mother from Desulo, 28 years old, has known the hardest face of this disease since adolescence . Her journey, made of pain, uncertainties and incredible conquests, is a testimony of resistance, strength and hope.
It all started early, too early. At 12, Peddio found herself facing menstrual pain so intense that it took away her typical teenage carefreeness.
«Everyone told me that it was just those 4-5 days of suffering, but in a few months it became 10, then 12. Days in which I completely shut down, unable to lead my life normally».
Normalizing female pain is one of the major obstacles in the early diagnosis of endometriosis . “All women feel pain during their periods,” she would hear herself repeat. But something was wrong. Her mother Ketty understood that her daughter’s level of suffering was not “normal.” After years of visits, tests, and nerve-wracking waits, finally a name: endometriosis.
But giving her pain a name didn’t mean defeating it . The proposed treatments were attempts, not solutions. Twelve different pills, none capable of giving her relief. And in the meantime, the disease took everything: going out with friends, the freedom to make plans, the carefree nature of a girl who simply wanted to live. “I don’t know how many times I had to call my parents to pick me up from school. I was absent so many times. For 12 days a month, the disease took control of me.”
The body suffers, but so does the mind. The sense of guilt, the feeling of being different, the fear of never being able to realize one's dreams . The question that every woman with endometriosis asks herself sooner or later has also come to her: "Will I ever be able to have children?"
Determined not to give up, Simonetta Peddio decided to look for answers elsewhere, leaving for Verona, where they finally gave her a more in-depth diagnosis. The response was a blow to the heart: her left ovary had significantly shrunk. The fear of not being able to become a mother was becoming more and more real.
But fate had other plans. Against all odds, after months of attempts and uncertainty, little Gabriele arrived in 2021. "It didn't seem real. For the first time I had control over my illness, because I no longer had my period and I was fine."
Pregnancy, a moment of respite, also gave her a new awareness. So much so that Simonetta decided to transform her experience into knowledge, presenting the topic “Endometriosis and nutrition” as her thesis in food science.
And then, the second miracle: in January her second son Alessandro was born . Today, Simonetta looks back and sees a path made of pain, but also of incredible victories. The fear of medical visits has never disappeared, and the disease is still there, lurking. But she is no longer alone. Thanks to growing information, social media and the testimonies of many other women, today she feels part of a community that fights and does not give up.
"At 12, I knew little about this disease and little was known. Today, communication has changed, and this makes me feel less alone. I know that I am not the only girl, teenager, woman with this uncomfortable tenant in her life."
Simonetta has won her biggest battle, but she continues to fight for all those women who, like her, have had to be told for years that their pain was “normal”. Because it is not normal. And because every woman has the right to a timely diagnosis, to adequate treatment and, above all, to never feel alone in this fight again. And in the month dedicated to endometriosis awareness, she wants to remember and reiterate it .