Patient Leader Certification: What's Your 60 Second Pitch?
What is your 60-second pitch? In other words, what would you say to someone to summarize who you are in 60 seconds or less?
Share your pitch here, and read other Patient Leaders' pitches! Remember that as you evolve in your Patient Leader journey, your pitch may evolve, too!
Hi, my name is Amy and I am the epitome of ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’. My world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension back in March of 2023. I had to take a step back from my career as a hairdresser and learn to navigate life with a rare, progressive disease. At that time, I was attached to a pump 24/7 and mixed my own medication daily. I have since transitioned off the pump, but life still looks different. In September of 2024 I was just starting to settle into my new normal when I heard those 3 words no one wants to hear, “you have cancer”. I was diagnosed with stage 2, triple-positive breast cancer at the age of 36. I am now navigating life after cancer, medical induced menopause and learning to trust the body that has betrayed me not once, but twice. Sharing my story online has helped turn my pain into purpose. I make it my mission to share what it means to navigate a chronic illness and cancer with courage, humor and grit. Advocacy, for me, means empowerment, and reminding every person that their voice – and their body – matters.
Hi, my name is Amy and I am the epitome of ‘what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’. My world was turned upside down when I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension back in March of 2023. I had to take a step back from my career as a hairdresser and learn to navigate life with a rare, progressive disease. At that time, I was attached to a pump 24/7 and mixed my own medication daily. I have since transitioned off the pump, but life still looks different. In September of 2024 I was just starting to settle into my new normal when I heard those 3 words no one wants to hear, “you have cancer”. I was diagnosed with stage 2, triple-positive breast cancer at the age of 36. I am now navigating life after cancer, medical induced menopause and learning to trust the body that has betrayed me not once, but twice. Sharing my story online has helped turn my pain into purpose. I make it my mission to share what it means to navigate a chronic illness and cancer with courage, humor and grit. Advocacy, for me, means empowerment, and reminding every person that their voice – and their body – matters.
Hi, I’m Alicia! I’m a "professional patient" as well as President of Girls With Guts, an all-volunteer nonprofit that supports women living with IBD and/or ostomies (for any reason) - something that’s deeply personal to me because I live with Crohn’s and have a permanent ostomy myself. I always joke that my “day job” is freelance Photographer, while my other full time job is Girls With Guts.
I joined the organization in 2013 as the Director of Multimedia and was part of the original board, so I’ve really grown alongside it – learning the ins and outs deeply. I stepped into the President role in 2017, and since then I’ve helped shape everything from our retreats to our support programs and watched our community expand globally.
Through sharing my story and being involved in advocacy work, I've found some of my very best friendships. What began as a small grassroots effort has grown into a network of women who truly get each other. I’m especially passionate about expanding our impact in an equitable way, while staying grounded in authenticity. At the core of my work is turning hard experiences into connection and leadership and creating spaces where people feel seen, empowered, and less alone.
Hello, my name is Michael Russell, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2009 after a five-year-long medical journey of tests, therapy, and doctor visits. Being diagnosed at age 54 and looking back at my physical changes over the years I feel MS may have begun in the mid to late ’80s.
Before being diagnosed I focused on work and becoming successful and being the best at everything I took part in. Being diagnosed with MS reshaped my vision of life. I now focus on the simple things of life such as sunrises, sunsets, and seasonal changes and helping others throughout the year.
Staying positive helps navigate the challenges MS presents. During those rough times, taking an internal inventory of what is good in life, family, friends, and helping others keeps you positive.
I try to take time helping others newly diagnosed navigate the MS journey as an Admin on MS Facebook pages, Advocate with the National MS Society, and an Advocate and have written articles for MultipleSclorosis.net. /BuzzyMS.
I was lucky to grow up in Southern California and moved to Highlands Ranch Colorado in 2004. My goal is staying active and just enjoying life is the key to tackling the challenges MS presents.
