When Daneka Etchells was 12 years old, she began suffering from debilitating period pain and exceptionally heavy cycles. Despite multiple visits to her general practitioner, her concerns were consistently minimized, and common treatments like the contraceptive pill proved ineffective. Over the next 17 years, this persistent medical oversight, which she describes as medical gaslighting, allowed an undiagnosed case of endometriosis to escalate significantly.
By the time specialists identified the condition, the internal growth had severely impacted the nerves and ligaments connected to her legs. Although the tissue was eventually removed, the extensive delay resulted in permanent nerve damage and a lifelong physical disability. Etchells, who is currently starring in a stage adaptation of The Secret Garden, explains that her character and the production itself mirror her own struggles with being ignored by the healthcare system.
The play, rewritten by playwright Tom Wentworth, challenges the original story’s narrative of a miraculous cure for the character Colin, opting instead to focus on the necessity of patient advocacy and self-empowerment. Like Etchells, Wentworth—who lives with cerebral palsy—has faced systemic difficulties in getting his health issues properly addressed. Healthwatch England acknowledges that such experiences are prevalent, particularly among women and the LGBTQ community, and is advocating for significant reforms to NHS complaint protocols to ensure patients are taken seriously.
