Hi all,
Yesterday when at a symposium on Cervical Cancer prevention, there were two speakers who spoke from personal experiences with fighting vaccine-preventable diseases, either themselves or their child. Founder of the Celebrate Life Foundation http://www.celebratelifefoundation.net/index.html was dynamic taking about her struggle with cervical cancer. Founder of the Meningitis Angels lost her son. She knows parents in many states. Both have said they are trying to get more exposure on the web for their stories. Check out: http://www.meningitis-angels.org/ This is a way to show LHD health educators that we can put a real face on IZ issues and balance out the anti-vaccine moms. It would be great if there were a way to work in some of this concept.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yes, and the internet offers so many vehicles to share and promote personal stories to the public. This really could have been a whole new broadcast idea - the power of personal narratives. We could have titled it, "From Data to Stories (D2S)."
It would be worth mentioning in the broadcast/website, that the internet allows health educators not only a new vehicle to deliver health messages, but that the new vehicle offers a new message...personal stories. One story can be more impactful on a person's health behavior than a statistic. This is how the consumer has changed (or reverted back to)!
As a health educator, I would be excited to learn how I can use stories in outreach and education efforts. The truth is that these stories lie in the communities that health educators work with, are found within clinics, and within in their own personal experiences. Part of the story on the documentary can involve a health educator using his/her experiences to promote and educate their communities.
Hi Tammy:
Thank you for your very kind post. I am Frankie Milley one of the speakers at the conference you referred to. I feel if sharing our story will save just one life we have accomplished our goals.
We must stand and be heard and put a face on disease.
Meningitis Survivor Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."
I say, together we can stop this disease. Education and Immunizations are the keys.
Meningitis Angels www.meningitis-angels.org
Post a Comment