Part 4: The First Time I Was Believed

Yolanda Kittrell
Jan 25
2 min read

Diagnosis, safety, sisterhood, and the beginning of healing.

Content Notice

This post discusses medical diagnosis, surgery, and emotional healing. Please take care while reading and move at your own pace. 💜

Series Context

This is Part 4 and the final entry in Endo, But Make It Gentle™ — a personal essay series about being dismissed, finding the right care, and healing on my own terms.

Part 4: The First Time I Was Believed

Sometimes healing doesn’t start with medicine — it starts with being seen.

This part is about safety, sisterhood, and finally hearing the words that changed everything.

The receptionist at the new office said one sentence that changed everything:

“Baby girl, I am so sorry you’ve been going through this. We got you.”

From the moment I walked in, it felt different. Black women. Warmth. Care. Listening.

The doctor looked at me and said:

You’re not crazy.
You’re not too young.
Cannabis isn’t the problem.
Wanting 10% relief isn’t enough.

She said the word no one else had said all year: Endometriosis.

For the first time, I felt seen.

That diagnosis led to treatment, a plan, and eventually surgery. It led me to create tools to support my healing—planners, journals, systems—because structure has always been how I survive.

I stopped making plans and started trusting God differently.

Final Reflection Questions

What did it feel like the last time someone truly believed you?
What would “healing on your own terms” look like for you?

The Journey Continues

This series ends here — but healing doesn’t.

My diagnosis led me to surgery, recovery, and the realization that I needed tools that supported my body instead of fighting against it.

Available Now: The Endo Healing Journal Collection™

Created from lived experience, this bedside healing kit is designed to support:

recovery and rest
symptom and pain tracking
medication reminders
emotional check-ins
gentle structure during chronic illness and post-surgery healing

Shop The Collection Now

If this series resonated with you, you’re invited to stay connected.More reflections, resources, and gentle tools are coming — and you don’t have to walk this journey alone.