I suffer from three chronic conditions. The worst part is knowing my pain could have been prevented

For years my pain was dismissed again and again by doctors who did not believe I was suffering

One summer's day in 2009, I was 17 and on a beach holiday with friends when I was struck very suddenly by a stabbing pain in my abdomen. In the 12 years since, it has never gone away.

The pain was so bad that I was admitted to hospital several times over those 12 years. I was misdiagnosed on multiple occasions and sent home with no diagnosis or treatment on others.