Diana Wallis is the only Liberal Democrat to represent Yorkshire and Humberside in the European Parliament. She is also the first Liberal Democrat and the first female to be elected as a vice president of the European Parliament in twenty years.
Diana is taking part in the London Marathon in April to raise money for a charity for Endometriosis. Since Diana has suffered from the disease in the past, her aim is to raise more money for research. She has taken time out of training to talk to me about the race and her battle against endometriosis.
You have been training for the London Marathon, how have you found time to train since you are based in Brussels?
It is very difficult. In fact, it is virtually impossible given the lifestyle that we lead. The parliament works on a four week cycle, which means two weeks of committee meetings in Brussels and then one week of political group week and then the Strasbourg week. So that means we are travelling every week and in between that, there is all sorts of other little journeys for talks and conferences. So training is not easy, I try doing it when I’m at home. You have to do long runs at weekends, which is part of my way of relaxing. I don’t do as much as I probably need though, I shall get round but it’s a question of how long it takes me!
How important is doing the London Marathon to you?
I am running it for a charity to do with an illness that I feel very strongly about called Endometriosis. It affects around 1 in 10 women and I was unfortunate to suffer from it in my thirties. It is extremely painful. For me, it was brought to an end in my early thirties when I had a full hysterectomy which meant that I couldn’t have a family. As a consequence, I could say that politics has become my baby. It is a horrible disease.. Gradually, as I felt more comfortable in talking about my own personal experience, I have tried to do something on a European level to try and raise more awareness about it.
Have you run the marathon before?
I have, I ran it once before about 3 years ago, and I did it in 5 hours 26 minutes. I want to try and do it in less than 5 hours this time. This time, I am doing it during an election year, which isn’t ideal but there we go!
Do you think there is more awareness about Endometriosis now, compared to when you suffered from it?
It’s a lot better than when I had it. I can remember going to a series of probably 4 consultants over a period of six years, who told me variously that I had other conditions, one even told me I was pregnant, which I knew I couldn’t be. Lots of women have been through this process, it is now easier to diagnose and there is more written about it in women’s magazines. I read an article in Cosmopolitan, and I remember going hot and cold and thinking “this is what I’ve got!” and then I found a female GP who was far more sympathetic. This was such a relief because very often, you are turned away and told that you just have bad period pains.
What advice would you have for women who may be suffering from Endometriosis?
Make sure you kick up a fuss! Don’t be frightened to keep asking questions if you don’t get answered straight away. It is a very difficult thing to talk about but the more we talk about things like this, the more aware we become. I think the problem is that it is very difficult to convey just how horrible this disease is. I read an article in a local newspaper about a young woman who had suffered from it and in the picture of her she looking very smiley and happy, there was nothing that showed there was something obviously wrong with her. It is so easy to down play it and say “oh, it’s just period pains!”, but it’s a lot worse than that.
Fact Box
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a painful condition which occurs when the cells that usually line a woman’s womb develop in other parts of her body, such as the vagina, fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, bowel and the rectum
Endometriosis cells work in the same way as those that line the womb. Each month during the menstrual cycle, the womb lining break down and bleeds if pregnancy hasn’t occurred. Endometriosis cells go through the same process but it cannot leave the body. This causes swelling and extreme pain wherever the cells are in the body.
Laura Newton
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