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Mackenzie Coonan
QLD
Mackenzie Coonan is a journalist for 7 News in Brisbane, Queensland. She has been battling endometriosis since the age of fifteen, but only found out what was causing her pain during her first operation in 2012. Mackenzie has since undergone further surgery but now lives with a management plan, involving a restricted diet to keep her flare-ups under control.
Broadcast journalism can be a hectic industry, and Mackenzie refuses to let her endometriosis get in the way of doing her job, which is a task made much easier now that she has been able to find a pain management plan that works for her. Mackenzie has recently welcomed a new baby girl, Evie, who surprised her and her hubby after years of being told she couldn’t conceive without medical assistance.
By being an EndoChampion, Mackenzie hopes to help end the silence surrounding endometriosis, by speaking up and sharing her story so others can recognise their symptoms earlier. Mackenzie hopes that sharing her experience will help to increase the conversation around the disease so women know their life doesn’t have to stop when they’re diagnosed with endometriosis. She also wants more women to have access to information on how to manage the disease, so they too can try to stop it from getting in the way of the things they want to achieve in life.
On her experiences, Mackenzie has said “Being diagnosed with endometriosis can be life-changing, but it doesn’t have to be life ending. In fact, I strongly believe those of us living with this disease is only made so much stronger by the challenges it throws our way, and that strength can work wonders in all aspects of our lives”.