This is the last week to endorse your favorite WEGO Health Activists.
I am excited to announce I have been nominated for the 2016 WEGO Health Activist Awards for Best Kept Secret and Advocating for Another. I am honored to be among such wonderful nominees.
WEGO Health, a network of more than 100,000 patient influencers, has create the awards program to:
Recognize patient influencers who have become leaders among leaders.
Connect patient leaders to each other, across conditions and platforms.
Give a big “thank you” to all the leaders impacting their lives.
I am very excited, grateful, and humbled to be nominated for this year's awards.
When my son, Andy, was diagnosed at 4 with psoriasis and at 5 with juvenile psoriatic arthritis, we felt isolated. We knew of no children with these diseases and as parents, we felt very overwhelmed. After reaching out to the National Psoriasis Foundation and Arthritis Foundation, we were put in touch with other families with similar experiences. This network of families kept us sane and showed us a future that no longer appeared doom and gloom.
Through blogging and social media, I work to further more connections and provide hope to families and patients struggling to grasp and understand these diseases better. And now, 14 years later with my own diagnoses of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis – starting 3 years after my son’s – sharing my personal experiences is no longer limited to children and families.
As a patient advocate, my work is not restricted to the internet. Our family is also very engaged with the Arthritis Foundation and National Psoriasis Foundation in many areas: fundraising events, advocacy on Capitol Hill, volunteers at a juvenile arthritis camp in Michigan, and I’ve even been honored to speak about children’s rights and school issues for those children and teens living with chronic illnesses.
I want to thank all of the WEGO Health Activist nominees for working hard in their communities to put health issues front and center. Helping others and giving back is more than important. I believe it is not only my obligation, but also heartfelt joy, to give back and help others struggling with chronic diseases. I want to provide hope for a bright future and let people know that no matter what diseases they may have, anything is possible. I am a health advocate because this the least I can do to repay those who helped our family when we needed it most. It's my way of paying it forward.
If you'd like to endorse me, there's still time to show your support this week. You can endorse me twice: once for each award.
Thank you to everyone who has already voted for and supported me. I'm so grateful for the love!
