A woman who has spent almost a decade living with endometriosis is preparing to walk seven marathons in seven days through the Scottish Highlands so that others can receive the specialist mental health support she says she never had.

Lucy Aitchison will set off on 25 August, walking 183 miles solo from Loch Tay to Aberdeen, passing through Aberfeldy, Pitlochry, Glen Tilt, Braemar, Ballater and Banchory as she launches a new therapy fund in partnership with The Endometriosis Foundation and Body Mind Connect.

The fund will provide free specialist mental health support for people living with endometriosis, a condition affecting around one in ten women and one that can take years to diagnose, leaving many to cope not only with chronic pain but the emotional impact that often comes with it.

For Lucy, the challenge is deeply personal.

She has lived with endometriosis symptoms for almost ten years, has attended A&E, undergone two operations and taken months away from work while recovering, all while managing the mental health struggles that accompanied her condition.

Explaining why she is taking on the challenge, Lucy said:

“I’ve had endo symptoms for almost 10 years now.

“I’ve been to A&E, had two surgeries, taken months off work recovering, and managed mental health struggles alongside the chronic pain.

“All of it is connected, but the mental health side was never part of my care.

“When I most needed it, I couldn’t affordably access a specialist who actually understood endometriosis.

“Having someone there who got it would honestly have been life changing.”

Lucy hopes the walk will not only raise money but also shine a light on a condition that continues to affect thousands of women while remaining widely misunderstood.

She says walking became one of the few things that helped her through the most difficult periods of her illness.

“Walking was one of the few things that helped me through the worst of it, often around London in the middle of the night with a hot water bottle strapped to my stomach, that’s why I’ve chosen to do a walk.”

The 183 mile journey through the Highlands will test Lucy’s determination, but every step has a purpose.

By launching the therapy fund, she hopes others living with endometriosis will be able to access the specialist psychological support she believes could have made a life changing difference to her own experience.

As she prepares to set off later this month, Lucy will be carrying more than a backpack across the Highlands.

She will be carrying the hope that no one facing endometriosis should have to face it alone.

Fundraising page: https://theendometriosisfoundation.enthuse.com/pf/lucyait