Over time, she stopped questioning the pain and began questioning herself
In the quiet corners of County Donegal, a pattern long mistaken for ordinary womanhood is being named for what it is: a medical condition stealing education, sport, and confidence from young girls. Endometriosis, affecting one in ten women and girls, often begins in the teenage years yet goes unrecognised because the pain it causes has been culturally absorbed as normal. A local charity has opened a space for these silenced stories, asking communities to consider what is truly lost when a young person learns to doubt her own suffering rather than seek help.
- Young girls in Donegal are missing school days and abandoning sports not by choice, but because chronic pain from endometriosis has made ordinary life feel impossible.
- The condition's cruelest feature may not be physical — many sufferers are told their pain is normal, causing them to question themselves rather than the illness going undiagnosed.
- Buncrana Children's Charity, alongside MISE Ireland advocates, stepped in after young people themselves asked for this conversation to be had openly and without shame.
- Parents, teachers, coaches and grandparents are now being called to recognise the difference between typical discomfort and pain that signals something requiring medical attention.
- The campaign is spreading through community channels, aiming not to frighten but to equip families with the awareness needed to listen — and act — before more opportunities are lost.
In County Donegal, a local charity has broken a long silence around endometriosis, bringing young people, families and health advocates together to confront a condition that affects one in ten women and girls, often beginning in the teenage years. What surfaced was a troubling pattern: young girls missing school, withdrawing from sport, and enduring symptoms they had been taught to accept as simply part of being female.
Catherine O'Donnell, speaking as part of the Buncrana Children's Charity awareness campaign, described how normalisation of pain had turned inward — she stopped questioning her symptoms and began questioning herself instead. This quiet endurance, marked by severe cramps, fatigue, back pain and irregular periods, is the daily reality for many young people who have never been given the language or permission to seek help.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the womb's lining grows outside it, causing inflammation and chronic pain with serious long-term consequences. Despite growing awareness, delayed diagnosis remains common, and cultural pressure to manage pain privately continues to keep many young sufferers silent. Cate O'Connor and Kathleen King of MISE Ireland worked alongside the charity to create a safe space for these conversations.
Adrian McMyler, chair of Buncrana Children's Charity, was direct: a young person missing school or withdrawing from normal life is a signal that demands attention, not dismissal. The campaign was born from the young people themselves, who asked the adults around them to listen — and to take them seriously. The charity continues to invite families through its social media channels to recognise the signs, understand the condition, and build the confidence to seek support without shame.
In County Donegal, a conversation is happening that many communities have been avoiding for too long. A local charity recently brought together young people, families, and health advocates to talk openly about endometriosis—a condition that affects one in ten women and girls, often beginning in the teenage years. What emerged from those discussions was a pattern of silence, pain, and lost opportunity: young girls missing school, stepping away from sports, and suffering through symptoms they've been taught to accept as simply part of being female.
Catherine O'Donnell, who shared her own experience as part of the awareness campaign led by Buncrana Children's Charity, described the weight of that normalization. She was told her pain was ordinary, that everyone experienced it, that she should simply push through. Over time, she stopped questioning the pain itself and began questioning herself instead. This is the reality for many young girls in the region and far beyond—a quiet endurance of symptoms that can include severe cramps, back and leg pain, fatigue, and irregular periods, all of which can make attending school or participating in everyday activities feel impossible.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the womb's lining grows outside where it belongs, triggering inflammation and chronic pain that can have serious long-term consequences. Yet despite growing awareness in recent years, many young people still face delayed diagnosis, uncertainty about what they're experiencing, and a cultural tendency to treat significant pain as something to manage quietly rather than address medically. Cate O'Connor and Kathleen King of MISE Ireland, an organization dedicated to supporting those living with endometriosis, worked alongside the charity to help create space for these conversations to happen safely.
Adrian McMyler, chair of Buncrana Children's Charity, framed the issue clearly: when a young person is missing school or unable to participate in normal activities, that is not something to minimize or dismiss. It is a signal that something requires attention. In a community like Inishowen, where people pride themselves on looking after one another, that responsibility extends to parents, grandparents, teachers, and coaches—all of whom have a role in recognizing when pain has crossed from typical discomfort into something that needs professional support.
The charity's campaign is not meant to alarm but to awaken. It began because young people themselves asked for this conversation to happen. They wanted adults around them to understand what they were experiencing and to take them seriously when they spoke up about pain. The question the charity is now asking families and communities is direct: Are we truly listening when a young person tells us they hurt? Do we understand what happens when they feel they cannot speak up? The campaign continues through Buncrana Children's Charity's social media channels, inviting families to learn more about endometriosis, recognize patterns of pain in their own lives, and build the confidence to seek support without shame.
Citações Notáveis
You are told it's normal. That everyone goes through it so you push through. You stay quiet and over time, you start to question yourself instead of the pain.— Catherine O'Donnell, endometriosis sufferer
When a young person is missing school or unable to take part in everyday activities, it's important we take that seriously and ask the right questions.— Adrian McMyler, Chairperson of Buncrana Children's Charity
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a condition that affects one in ten young women still feel like a secret in so many communities?
Because for decades, we've treated menstrual pain as something girls should just endure. It's been normalized so thoroughly that even when the pain is severe enough to keep someone out of school, there's this voice saying, "Isn't that just how it is?" The shame isn't in the condition—it's in the culture that taught girls to stay quiet about it.
What changes when a young person finally speaks up?
Everything. Once someone names the pain, once an adult takes it seriously instead of dismissing it, the person stops blaming themselves. They can actually seek help. But that only happens if the adults around them—parents, teachers, coaches—are listening and taking them seriously.
The charity mentions young people asked for this conversation. What does that tell you?
It tells you they're suffering in isolation and they want it to stop. They're not looking for sympathy. They're looking for recognition that what they're experiencing is real and worth addressing.
How does missing school or sports affect a girl's life beyond the immediate moment?
It compounds. You fall behind academically. You lose the social connection and confidence that comes from being part of a team. You internalize the message that your body is unreliable. These are formative years. The impact ripples forward.
What would genuine listening look like from a parent or teacher?
It would mean believing the young person when they say they're in pain, asking questions about what they're experiencing, and helping them get proper medical evaluation—not treating it as something they should just manage on their own.