The Eleven Posters of Patient Voices Symposium 2025

Yesterday was a remarkable day at the Patient Voices Symposium 2025. Standing among these ten patient partners was something I will hold close for a long time. Each of us came with different conditions and different histories, yet we stood united in the same purpose. We showed what resilience looks like when ordinary people walk into extraordinary challenges and still choose to give back.

I want to thank the organisers and the entire team at OPEN for creating a space where lived experience is not just acknowledged but embraced as knowledge. It was a fantastic gathering of advocates, survivors, caregivers and medical professionals who came together with sincerity and openness. When patient partners meet, something very real happens. Walls soften, understanding deepens and you feel less alone in your journey. I am truly grateful to have been part of this.

These are the eleven posters featured at the gallery walk. Every photo carries its own quiet victory. And every condition highlighted here reminds us that the medical system can be improved when patients and professionals work together, with trust and compassion.

If you have a moment, please take the time to read each of them. These voices represent neurofibromatosis, breast cancer, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, lupus, medullary thyroid cancer, dementia, non-systemic vasculitic neuropathy, kidney failure, autoimmune encephalitis, depression and of course, Endometriosis. Different journeys, different symptoms, different forms of grief and survival, yet all moving in the same direction. We want to build a world where people feel seen earlier, understood better and supported with dignity.

Yesterday reminded me again that advocacy is not about one person. It is a collective energy. It is many hearts choosing to rise for one another. I am honoured to stand beside these incredible individuals who sponge positivity even when life has been unkind. Their courage is a quiet kind of power that inspires you to keep going.

Thank you for journeying with us. May these stories continue to spark conversations long after the symposium is over 🌻💛

*I will share photos of the event next, once I have received the official ones.