I am excited to share my new Special Report: We Are Made of Stories: Stories from a Nurse Advocate. The Report is a compilation of stories I have written in my Blog, Nurse Advocate over the past six years.

I have used storytelling to share my experiences as a Brain Cancer survivor. That experience showed me how hard it is to be a patient and how complex the healthcare system is. Though sharing my stories I wanted to teach, persuade, and use the experiences I had on my journey to help readers know they were not alone and how to manage their own experiences so they grow from them.

Though my stories I wanted to make sure you knew that you were not alone when you or a family member were thrust into the complex world of healthcare.  I wanted the stories to empower readers to know that by being an active member of your healthcare team, you could have some control that would help you to have a safe journey that meets your goals.  Being a patient in the healthcare system is hard but knowing you are not alone can be comforting at a very difficult time.

Take time to read the stories. Let them help you know YOU have a voice and YOU can use your voice to let your healthcare team answer YOUR questions, understand YOUR fears, and help you meet YOUR goals. That is when YOUR team can really do their jobs and help you – not as a patient – but as a person.

I ask you to read the stories and see how they relate to your experiences. I also ask that you share the stories with your family, friends, and colleagues so they can read and get a better understanding of their journey. I look forward to your comments and your stories as together we can help each other.

Thank you for reading Nurse Advocate. Have a good week!