Posted 31 July 2025
When Jedda Hindmarsh was diagnosed with lipoedema in 2021, it brought clarity to a lifetime of confusing and often distressing symptoms.
In a recent interview with The Border Mail, the Wodonga-based business owner and mother shared her experience of living with the chronic condition.
“Everybody’s body was changing in puberty, but mine was changing more,” she told The Border Mail. “You go through it thinking you’re weird and it’s your own fault.”
Lipoedema is a progressive, often painful disorder of loose connective tissue that causes fat to accumulate disproportionately in the legs, arms and buttocks. It affects an estimated 11 per cent of women, over one million in Australia alone, yet is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked.
In Jedda’s case, symptoms first appeared during puberty and worsened over the years, impacting her mobility and quality of life.
After finally receiving her diagnosis in 2021, Jedda reached out to SVI, one of the only research centres in Australia studying lipoedema. Jedda’s mission aims to support critical scientific work and amplify community awareness.
“Research and awareness will change the future for people with lipoedema,” Jedda said.
“We need better diagnosis, better treatments and better understanding.”
Despite the severity of her symptoms, Jedda says treatment options remain limited. Compression garments, exercise, and diet help manage pain, but long-term relief often requires surgery, a series of procedures not covered by Medicare or private insurance, costing up to $100,000.
Determined to drive change, Jedda is now a passionate advocate. She regularly speaks to local service and workplace groups and helped organise fundraising events throughout June for Lipoedema Awareness Month.
From June 16 to 22, Wodonga’s iconic Water Tower glowed pink to spark conversation about the condition.
“There could be 16,500 women with lipoedema in the Albury-Wodonga region. And 12,000 of them don’t even know it yet.”
Support lipoedema research