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Give To A Peach In Pain Today.

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Why donate to our cause?

The Peach Corps is dedicated to supporting and advocating for individuals with PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and the chronic health conditions associated with these illnesses. We have a goal of raising $150,000 by the end of the year 2024, and we know with amazing people like YOU as part of this community, we can make it happen! Your support helps us get one step closer.

A Teammate's Journey: From Basketball to Advocacy

Read the heartfelt story of Vicky, a longtime friend of Peach Corps founder Tanisha "Tee" Simpson. Discover how Tanisha's struggle with endometriosis inspired her to start the Peach Corps, and how Vicky's unwavering support helped fuel their mission to empower and advocate for those affected by PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, and other chronic health conditions. Join us in supporting this cause to help others live their best lives.

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“My friend has been robbed of so much because of endometriosis.”

Hi! I’m Vicky! I am on the board of the Peach Corps and long-time friend of Tanisha, the founder of the Peach Corps. I first had the pleasure of meeting Tanisha aka Tee, when I was first enrolled in ballet at 5 years old. We also attended St. John's Catholic School together and played on their basketball team. I got to watch firsthand the sheer brilliance of Tanisha on the basketball court. She was amazing!

With practice and determination, we become a pretty badass basketball team, playing over 20-plus games per season, and mainly winning. We became the Bronx league champs, played together on a travel AAU team where we traveled to Quebec, Florida, all around eastern NY, as well as the tri-state area, and went to Mississippi for the 13 and under Junior Olympics, with Tee as a central player on the court. Throughout my whole St. John’s basketball experience, Tee was always super kind and extremely gracious and no one knew she was in pain from time to time. She was at every practice, never letting anyone know something was wrong.

After the Junior Olympics, we both went off to different high schools and our basketball experiences went in different directions.  I was convinced Tee was on the fast track to play in the WNBA. She really was that good! Of course, Tee was also one of the best students I had ever met, and I knew she was off to be a stellar student-athlete because she was not only dedicated to her sports career, she was also a brilliant student who rocked a solid A.

We had lost touch when college began, and I always wondered how far her basketball career had taken her. It broke my heart when I started to hear stories that Tee had some serious health issues pop up in college. I didn’t get specifics, (pre-email and internet) but I knew it had to do with her “lady parts”. Regardless, I knew she was going to be a successful doctor, if the WNBA didn’t work out, and I had my fingers crossed Tee was going to be ok. Little did I know the gravity of her health journey.
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We reconnected a little later in our lives and I found out that Tee was unable to play basketball. WHAT?!? My heart was officially broken. How? What? When? Why? What could squash her basketball career? What could have kept her off the court?

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“The reality of life with this illness showed its ugly head”

When I would travel back home to the Bronx during the holidays after moving to California to teach, Tee and I would try to see each other, and the reality of life with this illness showed its ugly head. She was always very tight-lipped about details of her life, so I felt honored when she started opening up about her health challenges. I started to realize my friend had been robbed of so much of her life because of endometriosis. This was the disease that killed her basketball career!! I was angry and heartbroken.

There were a couple of times over the years after college when Tee would sometimes have to cancel our plans because she was in great pain, and/or nauseous to the point of not being able to get out of bed. At one point, she had lost a tremendous amount of weight, and it was frightening because this seemed beyond explanation. Tee even reached the same weight that she was when we were in school together! I remember one specific moment, when we went out to get Indian food, and halfway there, Tee had to turn around and go home because she was so nauseous and queasy, and she couldn’t stop puking. So frightening! Endometriosis is a complete JERK!!

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I made it a point to support my friend

After hearing about and seeing the condition Tee was in, I made it a point to support my friend, and I made a promise to myself to be there for my teammate, my T-Ski. That is when my ally-hood kicked into high gear. She told me she wanted to start a nonprofit that would offer others with the support and education she didn’t have. She wanted to make sure other individuals would not suffer alone on their endo/chronic pain journeys. I was all in. Wherever she needed me, I would kick into my team member niche and give her the ball whenever she needed it. This is my forever teammate, and I would be there for her wherever and whenever she needed my help.

Anyone who is reading this can do their part to help Tanisha and the Peach Corps assist others who have endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, and other chronic health conditions related to these conditions. Whether you are an Endowarrior, chronic pain warrior, or ally; a donation to the Peach Corps can help others live their best lives with support and love. It takes a village to support each other and being a proud board member of the Peach Corps, I am here to help however I can, because that is what allies do, we support wherever, whenever, and however we can!

-Vicky