Living With

The 2022 Social Health Award for Lifetime Achievement goes to Kristal Kent, who engages in legislative and healthcare advocacy to help the fibromyalgia and veteran communities. After developing fibromyalgia during her own military service, she has worked tirelessly to provide her communities with up to date information and connect individuals living with fibromyalgia/chronic pain throughout the world.

Rachel Hill, aka The Invisible Hypothyroidism, is the winner of the 2022 Social Health Award for Social Media Master. She shares about her diagnosis of autoimmune thyroid disease and why it's critical to advocate for hypothyroidism.

The winner of the 2022 Social Health Award for Revolutionary Researcher is Aaron Blocker. Aaron lives with Crohn's disease and an ultra-rare genetic metabolic bone disease called hypophosphatasia. He uses his background in scientific research to break down those hard-to-understand topics related to his conditions so that patients can understand the most recent research and breakthroughs.

Mildred Velez is the founder of the Fibromyalgia Care Society of America, winners of Best Team in the 2022 Social Health Awards. Milly shares about her personal journey with fibromyalgia and how the FCSA supports others with the condition.

Ella Balasa is the 2022 winner of the Social Health Award of Healthcare Collaborator, recognizing her work of bridging the gap between  industry stakeholders and healthcare consumers. Ella shares how living with CF inspired her to advocate for herself and others and why she empowers others living with chronic conditions to be their own advocate.

Erica Carrasco is the 2022 Social Health Award Winner for Creative Contributor. Erica uses her creativity to help advocate for migraine awareness, and she talks about how her experiences with hemiplegic migraine have influenced her work and advocacy efforts.

The 2022 Social Health Award winner for Rookie of the Year is Jill King. Jill talks about how her advocacy work has helped her and others living with disability and the importance of finding and building community when living with challenges. 

The winner of the 2022 Social Health Award for Community Cultivator is Natalie Hayden. Natalie has been sharing her experiences of living with Crohn's disease and encouraging others with inflammatory bowel disease since 2016. She talks about her motivation and how she empowers others through her stories and social media presence.

Elle is a mom of twin daughters, one of whom is living with both sickle cell disease and type 1 diabetes, and is the 2022 Social Health Award winner for Caregiving Champion. Elle shares why her advocacy work is important to her and resources for caregivers.

Melissa Talwar is the 2022 Social Health Award winner for Advocacy Trailblazer. Melissa shares how her own health challenges inspire her to advocate for others and how the Support Fibromyalgia Network supports and educates those with fibromyalgia while raising awareness and advocating for better treatments and research.

As we learned in the last episode, psoriatic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease. It can impact more than just skin and joints. Too much inflammation from psoriatic arthritis can be associated with other symptoms such as fatigue. Over time, ongoing inflammation from PSA can cause irreversible joint damage. This podcast is sponsored by AbbVie. In this episode, the last of this two part series, we've brought back Julie, a contributor to psoriatic-arthritis.com who lives with psoriatic arthritis and rheumatologist Dr. Bakewell.

Psoriatic arthritis or PsA is a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks your joints on the inside and your skin on the outside. Symptoms include skin symptoms like red, scaly skin patches known as plaque psoriasis, and joint symptoms like joint pain and swelling. About one in three people with psoriasis may develop PsA, but psoriatic arthritis can impact more than just skin and joints. Too much inflammation can be associated with other symptoms like fatigue. This podcast is sponsored by AbbVie. In the first episode of this two-part podcast series, we're talking to Julie, a contributor to psoriatic-arthritis.com and who lives with psoriatic arthritis, and Dr. Catherine Bakewell, a rheumatologist.

Lisa Emrich is a contributor and moderator on RheumatoidArthritis.net. Lisa shares helpful tips on advocating for yourself with your doctor, how she manages both her physical and emotional health, and how she has learned to embrace adaptation and staying open to new experiences.

Pam Farina became a caregiver for her mom as Alzheimer's disease progressively took away her ability to care for herself. Pam shares her experience of caregiving, how and when they hired additional help, and how she now keeps her mom's memory alive by helping others. 

For our 50th episode, hear how several of our contributors have found strength as they face incredible challenges: Will Jones (ProstateCancer.net), Abigail Johnston (AdvancedBreastCancer.net), Wren Vandever (RheumatoidArthritis.net), Angela and Karl Robb (ParkinsonsDisease.net), Lorene Alba (Asthma.net), Jed Finley (AnkylosingSpondylitis.net and AxialSpondyloarthritis.net), and Diane Talbert (PlaquePsoriasis.com and Psoriatic-Arthritis.com).

Brian Boyle is a professional hockey player who is living with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP). He shares how he coped with the diagnosis and the importance of support along the way. This episode is sponsored by Novartis, and Brian has been compensated by Novartis for participating. Brian’s story is based […]

Megan Barlow was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of 5. Now 28, she describes what it's like to live with CF and how advances in treatment have made a huge difference in her quality of life.

Fela Dunfee talks about life with endometriosis, chronic pain, and talking with others about your condition, including talking to your partner about how your sex life is impacted.

John has been living with asthma all his life. He shares about his experiences of avoiding triggers, how asthma has impacted his life and career, and the importance of finding a community of others with asthma.

After receiving a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer at the age of 38, Abigail Johnston has drastically changed her life to maximize her time with her family, optimize her health and well-being, and use her experience as a lawyer and advocate to help others with MBC and other Stage IV cancers.

Jed Finley is a special education teacher and has been living with ankylosing spondylitis since the age of 12. He shares what his life is like with AS and how he's found purpose through his condition.

Kelly Mack has been living with rheumatoid arthritis since the age of 2, but she hasn't let it slow her down. She shares about life in her "hot rod" wheelchair, coping with treatment challenges and insensitivities, and how she keeps her positivity throughout it all.

Toby Smithson personally lives with diabetes and helps others with diabetes through her work as a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator. 

Hear from six Health Union contributors --  Jed Finley, Jaime Holland, Hess Polanco, Kerrie Smyres, Simon Lord, and Kelly Mack -- on how a chronic condition or a life-changing diagnosis has impacted their work.

Hess Polanco shares how IBS affects him on a daily basis, how (and why) he stopped apologizing for his IBS, and why it's important to talk about the condition to break down the stigma.

Simon Lord was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 50. His experience with prostate cancer inspired him to make changes in his career, and his approach offers inspiration to others facing a difficult diagnosis. 

Cindy "Myeloma Teacher" Chmielewski has been living with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, since 2008. In this podcast interview, she spoke about her path to diagnosis, the value of being an empowered patient, and how she continues to live life at the edge of her comfort zone.

Alisha Bridges has been living with psoriasis since childhood, and in this interview, she shares how she navigated growing up with the added the challenges of psoriatic disease, as well as how her advocacy work has provided her with additional confidence and strength.

How does living with a chronic condition impact dating? Hear from four Health Union contributors as they share the joys & challenges of dating while living with a chronic condition.

Jill & Ivy share their stories of diagnosis, how advocacy helps them cope with the uncertainty of living with lung cancer, and how personal choices have helped them take back some control over their bodies and how they view this disease.

Cora Lyn talks about diagnosis and treatment for macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in the U.S.

For Michelle Vincent, receiving a diagnosis of COPD at the age of 42 completely changed her world.

Chris Pettit shares how he became more educated and began to advocate for himself and others living with psoriasis. As Chris says, "it's a full body disease, not just a skin condition."

Scott Matheny is an advocate for Health Union on SkinCancer.net, and he is passionate about raising awareness and encouraging men to take a proactive approach to their own health and well-being.

Dan Glass was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of 45, and he shares his experiences of what it’s like to live with the condition.

Lisa Benson is passionate about raising awareness of migraine since she was undiagnosed for over 20 years.

After surviving hepatitis C, liver cancer, and a liver transplant, Karen Hoyt is passionate about helping others with liver disease.

Natalie Hayden offers encouragement and hope to those who are newly diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and talks about how her life has changed since being diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

Judy Cloud has been living with skin cancer for over 20 years, and she talks about the importance of skin cancer awareness, as well as how it has impacted her life both physically and emotionally.

Shirley Norris was diagnosed with an aggressive bladder cancer in 2016. She shares the symptoms she was experiencing, how she was diagnosed, and how her optimism helped her cope with treatment. 

Doug Sparling is living with metastatic prostate cancer and shares his experience of coming to terms with his diagnosis, treatment, and how making his Cancer as Art series has helped him cope.

Daniel Malito is an advocate on two of Health Union’s communities: RheumatoidArthritis.net and Blood-Cancer.com. He shares his experiences with these two conditions and how living with these significant health challenges has impacted his life in many ways.

Since being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in 2013, Susan Rahn has been dedicated to advocacy work and shares her experience to raise awareness about MBC and help others who are dealing with the disease.

Brooke Pelczynski was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her senior year of college, the summer before she graduated with a degree in illustration. As a visual artist, she shares her experiences of MS through her drawings on MultipleSclerosis.net and talks about how art has helped her communicate, connect with others, and cope with this chronic disease.

Jessie Madrigal suffered excruciating symptoms for years before finally receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis in her 30's. Now an advocate for Endometriosis.net, she shares how living with endometriosis has changed her life and how she works to raise awareness of the condition and its impact on women's lives.

Jeff Ten Broeck was just an infant when he was diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema. In this interview, he talks about the struggles of being a child with a visible skin condition, the challenges of being a teen and navigating dating, and how he has learned to cope with the emotional aspects.

Wren Vandever has lived with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for over 30 years. She shares what it's like to live with RA, her experiences of dealing with flares, and how she's found ways to keep hope and positivity alive throughout the tough times.

Hannah Noonan brings a holistic approach to her profession as a nutritionist, and she can relate to her clients personally as she has experienced irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at age 23, Karl and his wife Angela talk about how laughter and the complementary approach of Reiki have helped them both in dealing with the challenges of living with PD.

Marisa Lauren Troy shares the important life lessons she's learned by living with inflammatory bowel disease and how she uses her experiences to support and help others living with the condition.

Rick Nash shares his incredible Hep C story, from his diagnosis at age 12, through multiple treatments, and a liver transplant.