Dec 11 2024 78 mins
This episode of the DiepCJourney podcast is our final edition in 2024. I share a discussion across continents with two women leaders I admire who engage in patient advocacy and the patient story.
Marie Ennis O’Connor is well known for “Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer” a platform where she gathers writers and bloggers sharing their stories across social media platforms. Her journey in patient advocacy began twenty years ago with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Marie poignantly tells us in the interview that,
"We find when we are diagnosed with a serious illness, something is missing. We look around and see who can fix this. I discovered the person who could fix it was me."
Sue Robins , whose patient experience started with a breast cancer diagnosis, has focused her healthcare advocacy based on her son, Erin’s down syndrome. Like Marie, her healthcare advocacy began about twenty years ago. She is a Senior Partner and Patient Consultant at Bird Comm.
I call them both my friends and they grace us with rich information in the realm of storytelling and patient engagement. We take a deep dive and share firsthand experiences, good and bad, about conference attendance, invitations to speak, and how important we feel it is to pass on the wisdom we have learned to the next generation of advocates.
We are filled with nostalgic hope of meeting in person some day in Ireland, Marie’s home country, on the Wild Atlantic Way, the western side of Ireland. It was my favorite area when I visited there in the fall of 2023 and was able to meet Marie in person in Dublin.
Enjoy the final 2024 episode and I look forward to seeing you on the DiepCJourney podcast in 2025 with more exciting guests and topics!!
Connect with Marie across these platforms:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marieennisoconnor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondbreastcancer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marie_ennis_oconnor/
Connect with Sue across these platforms:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue--6609147/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sue.squawk.9
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suework/
Books: Birds Eye View and Ducks in a Row