Making Rainbows Toowoomba owner Letitia Payton opens up about PMDD diagnosis, suicide, mental health

In the same year Toowoomba woman Letitia Payton purchased her business, she was diagnosed with a condition that forced her to make the most devastating decisions of her life. Read her inspiring story here.

It’s been a long, hard and devastating journey for Letitia Payton but little did she know a pot of gold was waiting for her at the end of the rainbow.

When Ms Payton was just 22 she became the owner of the Making Rainbows Toowoomba franchise – an organisation which offers classes for children aged six weeks to five years old.

Combining music and sensory play, the program offers a range of benefits and assists with early developmental skills.

Now five years on and aged 27, Ms Payton has been nominated for a young achiever award and has opened up on just how far she’s come.

Letitia Payton from Making Rainbows Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen

The same year she purchased the franchise, Ms Payton was also diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder – a severe form of premenstrual syndrome which causes fatigue, pain, hormone irregularities and psychological distress.

On average, five to 10 per cent of women suffer from the condition but sadly it is widely misdiagnosed and misunderstood.

Studies also show 30 per cent of women with the condition will attempt suicide in their lifetime, while a larger number will self-harm or experience suicidal thoughts.

Heartbreakingly, Ms Payton is one of those women who has been in and out of hospital for most of her adult life after attempting to take her own life on several occasions.

“I was depressed, angry and suicidal one day and back to my happy, bubbly, normal self the next so a lot of doctors assumed it was bipolar or depression,” she said.

“The thing is it’s not a mental health condition – it’s a hormonal issue.”

Until Ms Payton received her diagnosis, she struggled to find a medical practitioner who would acknowledge her concerns and discovered there were a lot of stigmas surrounding the condition.

Goserelin (Zoladex) an injection of hormones which is also used to treat breast cancer in premenopausal women.

After trialling different medications including Zoladex – an injection of hormones which is also used to treat breast cancer in premenopausal women – Ms Payton developed serious side effects and ultimately decided to have her ovaries removed last year.

While balancing her hormones remains a challenge for the Toowoomba woman, her mental health has improved significantly since making the monumental decision.

“No doctor wants to remove the chance of having kids from someone’s life, especially when they’re so young, so I really had to fight to have my ovaries removed … I had to fight for my life,” she said.

“Trying to run a business when you’re going through all that is tricky and working with children knowing I may never be able to have my own can be a struggle.

“But I love my job, I love working with kids and that’s what has kept me going.”

Despite the pressures of running her business combined with her serious health battle, Ms Payton is very successful in her field of choice.

Letitia Payton from Making Rainbows Toowoomba. Picture: Nev Madsen

Employing five staff members and averaging a client base of about 110, she won a What’s On For Kids award in 2021 and 2022 and for the past two consecutive years was nominated as a finalist for the Australian Small Business Awards.

Now she is in the running for the 7 NEWS Young Achiever Awards with the winner announced next month.

But the franchise owner said the awards are just an added bonus.

“When I see a child play the ukulele for the first time, I get the best sense of achievement,” she said.

“It’s really hard to keep going when you’re stuck in that mindframe of ‘life sucks’ – I know how that feels but there is a way forward.

“Before Making Rainbows I never thought I would be where I am now and even though I still battle this awful illness, this is my light at the end of the tunnel.”

For more information about PMDD is available online at iapmd.org

If you are struggling please phone Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.