Next Step is closing in on their goal of raising $70,000 this holiday season – only $15,000 more to go! Please consider a donation to Next Step before the end of the year. Any amount helps. If you have already given, thank you! You’re helping young people like me.
When I was first diagnosed with my brain tumor at 21 years old, a huge challenge I faced was how to navigate the adult healthcare system. It’s not as if you see one doctor and set up a treatment plan, and that’s it, like they do in the pediatric healthcare system. Now, you see one specialist who says one thing and then another who says, “No, here’s what you need to do,” without thinking about what I need, how these decisions would affect ME.
It became clear that I wasn’t part of the decision making with my own health. I began to feel lost, confused, and alone. How could I gain the respect of my doctors and become part of the conversation concerning my own care?
“It can be really hard to know the right things to say and how to get what you need from the medical system and not fall through the cracks.”~Naia~
These were the kind of conversations you can only learn how to navigate as you go through them, or so I thought. When I attended my first Next Step Campference, I found myself in an environment of other young people, like me, who have their own experiences of navigating the adult healthcare system with a chronic illness, and have had those conversations before.
“It really helps to have that reference point of seeing how other young people are dealing with similar challenges and sharing tips back and forth.” ~Naia~
The depth of wisdom and available resources at Next Step is hard to imagine. One participant may mention a treatment option that I might think, “That’s definitely something I’d like to ask my doctor about” or “Oh, this is a great way to relieve some of my symptoms.” These conversations really helped me to navigate and advocate for myself in my new adult healthcare system.
I would have fallen through the cracks of my new adult healthcare system, but because of your support of Next Step, I’ve become so much more equipped with skills and confident when talking to my doctors. I’ve been able to advocate for my needs and not just listen to the doctors tell me what’s best for me. I am now part of the decision making process when it comes to my health.
Please consider donating to the 2023 Next Step Annual Fund so more young people living with chronic illness have a community to help them learn how to navigate their new adult healthcare system and get the best treatment they need, like you did for me.
Thank You and Happy New Year,
Naia
