At Health Stories Project, empowering patients and caregivers to share their authentic health journeys is at the heart of our business. Only from understanding such a journey – which is different for every person we encounter – can we authoritatively recommend strategies to…
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Performer and multiple sclerosis advocate Brittany Quiroz is keeping it real—and empowering others. If all the world is a stage, as William Shakespeare’s Jacques asserted around 400 years ago, most of us are metaphorical bit players whose challenges and dreams don’t factor into…
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Many people living with multiple illnesses don’t just manage symptoms, they also adhere to a medication schedule and may need to repeatedly adjust their overall regimen (with their doctors’ input) due to how medicines interact. Staying on top of treatments alone can have…
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Rosemary’s health concerns date back to 1984, when she was diagnosed with lupus and interstitial lung disease. In the decades since, she has been diagnosed with several other conditions, making each year more complex and challenging than the last. Looking back on her…
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Have you been affected by Lyme disease or another health condition? Sign up to share your experiences with Health Stories Project! Chloe O’Neill is a 25-year-old woman who has been living with chronic Lyme disease for over 15 years. Originally a native of…
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We deliver new health stories each week! –> Many people who live with a chronic illness find that there are few genuine distractions from the pain and inconvenience that come with being sick. This might be why so many patients turn to art…
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We deliver new health stories each week! –> Imagine visiting Yankee Stadium and being selected and singled out of the entire crowd. Being born with Hereditary angioedema (or HAE) is a similarly rare event. It’s so rare, in fact, that many doctors aren’t…
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Catching melanoma early can save your life, but diagnosis is often a tricky process. After initial discovery of a suspicious mole there is a biopsy (which involves skin tissue being removed and viewed under a microscope). Followed by a check of the lymph…
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We deliver new health stories each week! –> Inherited genetically, cystic fibrosis (CF) affects more than 30,000 people in the U.S. alone. In fact, about one in 25 people is a carrier of the disease. Still, many don’t know about CF or understand…
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I’m a podcast geek. For me, the cool thing about podcasts is that you can hear interesting stories, and learn something new, all while doing something totally mundane. I can learn about coffee while I’m grocery shopping, meditation while I’m doing the dishes…
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This is the second of two planned articles detailing gendered experiences in the American healthcare system. Click here to read Part 1. If you would like to share your health experiences, please sign up here. While the transgender community has gained greater visibility,…
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Before the 1980’s the definition of a “cancer survivor” was someone who had shown no evidence of cancer for five years. But groups like the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) recognized the need “for language that truly told the story of…
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How does treatment for multiple sclerosis affect someone’s social life? Does medication for Hidradenitis Suppurativa improve emotional well-being? Can exercise make daily life with type 1 diabetes easier? We all know that questions like these are important for people living with a serious…
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We first met Jim and learned his story when he signed up to participate in a virtual patient panel. If you’re interested in sharing your story and hearing about opportunities like the one Jim had, sign up to share your story. “This is…
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Pregnancy is supposed to be a joyous time of anticipation. Baby showers, nurseries, and nesting all add to the fun and excitement. Even when morning sickness gets extreme, and doctors’ visits get old, it’s hard to imagine anything truly ruining that special time…
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When it comes to recovering from an illness or staying in because of something chronic, Netflix documentaries can be a lifesaver. Not only are they a welcome distraction, but they can also help us find more understanding and compassion towards those with experiences…
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Imagine your last healthcare experience – whether you were at the doctor’s office or hospital, as a patient, visitor, or caretaker. Whatever the reason, it probably wasn’t fun. Healthcare experiences can be simultaneously exhausting, stressful, and boring. For many living with illness, distraction,…
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You can’t put Charles Mattocks in just one box: actor, award-winning director, chef – he’s embraced a lot of roles in his life. One that’s most important to him personally, though, is his role as a health advocate, for both type 2 diabetes…
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This is the first of two planned articles detailing gendered experiences in the American healthcare system. If you would like to share your health experiences, please sign up here. Although the transgender community has achieved greater visibility in the American public eye, there…
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We deliver new health stories each week! –> Osteoporosis is a disease that happens when the body loses too much bone mass, can’t produce enough new bone tissue, or sometimes both of these factors. The bones of people with osteoporosis become weak and…
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“It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Sound familiar? Some people just don’t like the doctor. Whether it’s fear, busy-ness, shame, discomfort, or something else, many choose to stay away. In fact, psychologists even have a name for this phenomenon: health information avoidance. But when…
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Vicki Woodward hates those rheumatoid arthritis advertisements. You know, the ones with the creepy music serenading a spry woman in her early 50s who effortlessly lives an active lifestyle… “They always have some RA person who is happy, thin, and gorgeous with a…
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It’s easier to talk about physical scars than emotional ones, but life with a chronic illness like Hidradenitis supporativa (HS) isn’t just about physical pain. Hidradenitis supporativa can leave unseen wounds that are just as serious and bothersome as their physical counterparts. In fact,…
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You would think that having all the answers, or at least some of them, would be a relief. That the old adage, “knowledge is power,” rings true regardless of the situation. However, when former operating room nurse, Christine Hanson, discovered she had stage…
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Health Stories Project was created to give people opportunities to share their personal health experiences and to learn from the experiences of others.