Greetings, my fellow sweaty friends. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I’m hoping to blog more on a regular basis soon now that I’ve completed treatment for thyroid cancer, enrolled my son in preschool several days a week, and am finally coming up for air. Being a stay-at-home mom/homemaker is not for the fainthearted. I am so thankful I am able to do this while my son is young. Oh, and I recently learned I’m in the very, very beginning stages of perimenopause. Yeehaw.
In the midst of all this, applications are now due for the annual HealtheVoices patient advocacy conference. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve applied to attend, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve done so on behalf of everyone who suffers from hyperhidrosis and is hoping for not only a cure, but for more sweaty conversations to be had. Here is my application:
Why are you interested in attending HealtheVoices this year?
I’m nothing if not persistent. I’ve applied to attend HealtheVoices every year since I first learned about the amazing opportunity. Now that I’ve overcome several personal health challenges, I feel the air has cleared and I now have room in my life to focus again on my patient advocacy journey, one that has been not only rewarding for me, but has also helped people from all over the world who suffer from hyperhidrosis. If accepted to the conference this year, I will be able to grow my reach, connect with others in person, and learn many more valuable skills and ideas for content so that I can continue to serve my community in the highest fashion.
Why is this a critical moment in your advocacy?
Now is a critical moment for hyperhidrosis advocacy for so many reasons. Excessive sweating shouldn’t be a sweaty secret. The best time was yesterday; the second best time is now. My advocacy work is on behalf of:
- The five-year-old who wants to quit gymnastics because she can’t get a grip on the uneven bars
- The teenagers who are suicidal and whose mental health has taken a nosedive due to their excessive sweating. Isn’t puberty hard enough?
- For those desperately searching for a cure who need to be hopeful without one
- For those who drip from their head and their face, unable to hide their sweaty secret and who fight the stigma daily that they are fat and disgusting and that must be why they sweat
- For the young girl forced to wear a school uniform that triggers her sweat, afraid to stand up and have classmates see the drops on her chair from her sweaty legs
- For those who feel so disgusting and unworthy of touch that they choose not to date or pursue any type of relationship with others
- For anyone who has ever felt less than because of their medical condition
It is for these reasons that hyperhidrosis deserves a seat at the HealtheVoices table this year.
In addition, after having a baby and simultaneously facing thyroid cancer over the past several years, I’m now done with treatment and ready to take the next step in my journey helping fellow patients and advocates feel better about the skin they’re in. This conference is the perfect opportunity to do so. Now is a perfect time to amplify patient voices with my fellow advocates while also forging beneficial relationships with the folks at Johnson & Johnson who can help patients with treatment options and clinical research.
What do you hope to contribute to the conference? What expertise or experience as an advocate would you bring to your peers?
Poet Maya Angelou once said, “We are more alike than unalike, my friends.”
While my advocacy work mostly focuses on hyperhidrosis, the underlying thoughts and feelings surrounding it are very similar to those suffering from any type of health condition. Through this commonality, there is room for connection and growth. We don’t have to be defined by our circumstances, but we can certainly allow them to change us. Through my personal stories, I will build connections that foster personal and professional growth.
I’ve been a health advocate since 2011 and am celebrating my blog’s 14h anniversary this year. I’ve been called The OG of Hyperhidrosis Advocacy, a title I wear proudly. If you would have told me all those years ago that I’d be blogging about sweat of all things, I never would’ve believed you. My experience includes:
- featured panelist speaker at the inaugural Hyperhidrosis Patient-Focused Drug Development Meeting (PFDD) in Washington, DC
- inaugural member of #OMagInsiders, brand ambassadors for O, The Oprah Magazine
- podcast guest on several podcasts discussing hyperhidrosis and patient advocacy
- Pharmacy Times CME activity featuring a patient perspective (on-camera talent including a medical journal supplement)
- published in SELF Magazine
- featured speaker on ulcerative colitis in the Women for One Truthteller Tour
- interview with Everyday Health digital platform
- for a complete list, please see the About section on my blog.
What do you hope to gain from the conference?
After being on hiatus from the professional working world to raise my son, I feel terribly behind on the latest social media and blogging trends. I’d like to brush up on these skills so that I can continue to serve my audience well into the future.
I also look forward to meeting other advocates and professionals to swap stories and advice for how to make advocacy even better, which in turn will advance health care and outcomes for those who suffer from health problems.
I hope to gain more contacts in the advocacy and healthcare industries so that I can help more people who also struggle with their health.
I’d love to learn more about:
- forging relationships with pharma so that we can work together to advance better health outcomes and bridge the gap between treatment options and access to care
- the latest social media trends to maximize reach and engagement
- how to better tell my story via public speaking and video
- how to approach/pitch HCPs and other health companies who specialize in care and/or have a large subset of patients who could be helped by the knowledge of advocates
So, sweaty fingers crossed I am accepted this year so that I can hit the ground running with more sweaty conversations. Hyperhidrosis should not be a sweaty little secret; it deserves to be represented as a legitimate health concern that is talked about.
