“Next Step has helped me redefine my relationship with the labels that accompany me and my rare disease. When I first came to Next Step I was in a mindset that I was defined by what I live with and what I have gone through because of my rare disease. Next Step has helped me realize that I am not my rare disease diagnosis and my diagnosis is just a part of me. It is a part of me that is important, as it has shaped who I have become, not what I cannot do, but because of what I can do.”
-Next Step participant, age 22
In honor of Rare Disease day this Saturday, February 29th, we would like to raise awareness about how we support the young rare disease community!
Next Step offers FREE year-round community, music and mentorship programs for teenagers and young adults, age 16 to 29, living with rare diseases. This includes our popular four-day residential Summer Campference program which will be held on July 9-12 at the Warren Conference Center & Inn in Ashland, MA. Over the course of the four-day Next Step Campference, attendees can take part in a series of educational workshops, music therapy sessions, as well as fun activities in a community of peers who understand what living with a rare disease means.
Contact Quita, Next Step’s Outreach Coordinator if you’re interested in learning more about our life-changing programs: quita@nextstepnet.org/617.864.2921. Want to sign up for our 2020 Summer Campference on July 9-12? Click here to fill out your application!
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