In today's post, we hear from the team at Nu Image, a Norwich based marketing agency who took on an incredible 24-hour cycle challenge in support of Endometriosis UK. They discuss what the challenge entailed, the support they received and their motivations for supporting the 1 in 10 with endometriosis.
Raising awareness around endometriosis is something very important to us. We are Nu Image, a marketing agency in Norwich, and one of our own has suffered from the pain and challenges of endometriosis for many years. This silent condition is painful, life-changing, and severely slow to diagnose, and we wanted to be her voice against endometriosis.
So, how could we raise awareness?
Eight members of our team took turns riding two standstill bikes, effectively cycling nowhere for 24 hours. We did this to raise funds, get the word out, and have a bit of fun along the way. A bright and bold banner was strung up on the front of the building and we popped our bikes by the main road for everyone to see. With the tunes playing and spirits high, our team cycled hard throughout the day and night while answering questions on our social media about endometriosis.
The support we received was incredible. Friends, family, clients and strangers donated money to help us raise funds for Endometriosis UK, along with food and well wishes while the team cycled. To see all these people support this wonderful and important cause was heartwarming, and kept our cyclists moving through the muscle ache and tired eyes.
Raising money for this charity to continue its fantastic work was our goal, and with the help of our community, we were able to raise £3,193 to donate to Endometriosis UK. We hope that with this money, the charity will be able to support more sufferers and enable faster diagnosis, even if only for just a few people. Even the smallest amount of help is entirely worth the burning calves.
This is what our amazing team member has to say about their challenges with endometriosis and the Nu Image cycling event:
“I have suffered with endometriosis for many years now, and to be frank, it sucks, but for the most part, I tend to keep it under wraps and tucked away from my professional life. As a condition, endometriosis is rarely talked about, and diagnosis times are unacceptably high. I waited around six years to be diagnosed, by which time I was carrying around several large cysts on my ovaries, one the size of a tennis ball, despite raising endo as a possibility during assessments, as my mum also suffered from it.
It was incredible to see the team put their all into this event, to raise awareness and funds for such an important cause. By the end of the cycle, I was so emotional to see everyone coming together and I felt so supported. During the night, we had more than one passerby stop and share with us their own experiences, those of their daughters and wives, and it was a great forum to allow those stories to be heard. I am so proud of the team here, and of the hard work that Endometriosis UK are doing to help raise our voices collectively.”
Raising awareness and funds for Endometriosis UK was both an educational and fun experience, one that we really hope to do again in future.
