What is a patient influencer?

This morning, someone I know referred to me as a patient influencer.

Obviously I know all about influencer marketing, but for some reason, the concept of a patient influencer had completely escaped me. Nevertheless, when she explained what she meant, it actually makes perfect sense.

So, what is a patient influencer? In a nutshell it's someone who uses their experiences as a patient to raise awareness, provide support and advocate for change. And this is pretty much what I've spent most of the last 13 years doing - relating to my experiences with cervical/HPV cancers, breast cancer and autoimmune diseases like psoriasis, as well as how I've changed my lifestyle in an effort to take back control of my health.

Because the reality is that despite the best efforts of many companies, health information is still limited. And one of the main reasons for this is that no two experiences - even with identical diagnoses, are the same. The reason for this is simple - human physiology is unique, so every patient, every circumstance, is unique too.

Real human voices are the best way to raise awareness, provide honest accounts, and empower patients to make the best decisions for them. To help patients know that they aren't alone, and there's others out there who understand, even if they don't have exactly the same experience.

With this in mind, I want to do more this year in my role as a patient influencer. Including talking about how I've taken my experiences and used them to make me a better medical writer and health marketing strategist. And about how life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to what happens, which means you can turn your experiences into a strength if you choose to.

Want to chat more about cancer, autoimmune disease or changing your lifestyle to control the controllable when it comes to your health?