Last week I had the extreme privilege of walking around Mayo Clinic without my rear hanging out of one of those horrible hospital gowns. I received a scholarship to attend the Health Care Social Media Summit as a patient. The fact I work at Fight CRC and manage our social media was a bonus. mayo-clinic-danielle-visit The scholarship covered my registration for the entire week of workshops and activities. I had the absolute privilege of learning from the institution I consider one of the best when it comes to healthcare social media - Mayo Clinic - and several of the sponsors and presenters. I learned all kinds of things about Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc. - stuff that made the little nerdy side in me feel giddy.

Sharing My Semicolon Story

My favorite part of the week was hands-down the opportunity to share my story. I was one of three patients chosen to attend the conference. Part of the deal was that we get up in front of the entire group to talk about being a patient and engaging online. danielle-social-media-mayo I stood up and did something that my 17-year-old self would have never dreamed about. I told complete strangers that I pooped. Over the 20 minutes of my presentation, I showed photos of my journey, explained how blogging helps me heal and encouraged the room full of social media specialists to keep engaging online for the sake of their patients. I told them on behalf of all survivors that when hospitals and other healthcare groups engage online, they help:
  • remove the stigma of our diseases
  • connect with others
  • become familiar with advocacy
  • and, save lives
I had a flood of attendees stop me after the presentation to thank me for sharing. Some even tweeted at me that they enjoyed my poop jokes from the stage. It was a great group, and I was happy to be there.
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Cindy, me & Sarah - the three patients who received scholarships
I know it's important to share our stories as survivors, or really, patients suffering from any disease. I was encouraged to keep sharing mine. It's inspirational for the healthcare community to see patients who are healthy and happy. It reminds them of why they work in healthcare each day. Plus, it helps other patients feel connected and realize they can share their stories, too. I'm continually amazed at what the power of social media can do... like create the opportunity to visit Mayo Clinic and keep all of my clothes on.