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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Alisha Bridges wasn’t always the confident young woman she is today. After being diagnosed with psoriasis as a child, she spent most of her life covering up her skin from neck to toes and hiding her condition from just about everybody. Now she’s…
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Along with the serious health effects of life with HIV, it also carries a very heavy emotional burden, in part because of the stigma that is still associated with the disease. We hosted a panel of HIV-positive activists and advocates including Marvin Anderson,…
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Margaret Miller knew early on that something was off about her redheaded baby girl, Gwen. As a one-month-old, she still wasn’t making eye contact. Underweight at birth but seemingly healthy at first, Gwen continued to miss milestones as she got older. She had…
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Meet Rachel Rachel Hill is a writer and advocate who has been living with Hypothyroidism since she was 16 years old. She is the creator of The Invisible Hypothyroidism, an award-winning patient advocacy blog that focuses on helping others by advocating for a…
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Editor’s note: If you or a loved one are living the CRPS, depression, and/or anxiety the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255….
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This comic by Tatiana Gill was inspired by the amazing people we met at Who Can You Tell? The International Conference on Stigma. Have you been affected by HIV or another health condition? Sign up to share your experiences with Health Stories Project!
According to the American Cancer Society, more people die of lung cancer each year than of breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. And stigma may be a contributing factor. People are ashamed to tell others that they are having possible lung cancer symptoms…
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Blood is the stuff of life. Our bodies depend on it to deliver a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients to our cells. It fuels the heart, helps us regulate our temperature, and removes waste. We truly can’t live without it. Most people…
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Editor’s note: If you or a loved are living depression the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. A new project from award-winning photographer Walter Smith…
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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) may not be a household name, but it affects millions of people. Also known as acne inversa, HS usually begins as pimple-like bumps on the skin. If the chronic condition worsens, the bumps can grow deep into the skin, becoming…
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When it comes to healthcare, access means a wide variety of services that are readily available, of reasonable quality, and affordable to those who need them. Big city dwellers have plenty of options for everything from a Functional Medicine Doctor, dental checkups and…
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One in 10 women around the world suffer from endometriosis, an often-painful and debilitating gynecologic condition, which involves inflammation and tissue adhesions in the abdominal cavity. We interviewed endometriosis patient and advocate, Heidi Berthoud about her multi-decade experience navigating this condition. Heidi, who…
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As skin cancers go, melanoma is the least common and the most concerning. It can spread from the skin to organs and bones and is most often triggered by UV exposure, especially in those who have a genetic predisposition to this type of…
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If you’re looking for something good to watch on Netflix you’re in luck! These 12 health stories are available to watch right now. If Netflix is your go-to whenever you need to watch something interesting, informative, or just something to distract you then…
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Stigma related to HIV has a tremendously destructive impact on individuals, families, and even communities. It can prevent people from getting tested, seeking treatment, or disclosing their diagnosis to those most likely to provide support. Who Can You Tell? The International Conference on…
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Comedic author Ellen Dolgen, whose popular blog covers all facets of menopause, doesn’t care for the term dyspareunia. “That’s the best the medical community could do?” she says. “I call it dry vagina.” “During your menopausal journey, you may find that one day,…
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On December 4, 2017, the Supreme Court approved the third version of the president’s travel ban to go into effect while legal challenges continue to be heard in the lower courts. Intended to protect the U.S. from the threat of terrorism, the regulation…
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When Smiley the Blind Therapy Dog recently passed away at 15 years old after a long fight with cancer, thousands of people posted messages of grief across social media. The passing of Smiley was quite tough for people to take in, but knowing…
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Multiple Sclerosis is a condition of the central nervous system that interferes with messages between the brain and the body. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that at least 400,000 in the U.S. have MS. For unknown reasons, people who live in northern…
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Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was once called “multiple personality disorder.” It’s a serious, rare condition in which a person’s identity is fragmented into distinct personalities. This post about life with DID was submitted by a Health Stories Project community member. Click here to…
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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.