By Alicia House, PH Patient
Interviewed by Nathan Barker, PHA Advocacy and Awareness Associate
Last March, nurse Alicia House gave a PH lecture to 40 nursing students in Rolla, Missouri. Intent on making the most of the opportunity, she turned the lecture into a call for PH advocacy and she got local media coverage!
What made this event so personally important to you?
My passion, for a number of years, has been teaching; that is the majority of what nurses do. I love to teach new nurses. I want them to have an understanding of PH and how it impacts every facet of a person’s life. I want them to know what to look for even if the affected individual does not know that they have PH. I want them to know that a simple echocardiogram is the first step to diagnosis. I want them to encourage patients to be their own best advocates. I want them to advocate for their patients and the community as a whole. I want them to see the big picture as well as the individual. I want them to know that a simple ten minute call to their representative to ask them to support House Bill 3368 [The PH Research and Education Act] could save thousands of lives. I want them to know that together we will be heard. I want them to do what nurses should do: provide care and take action!
How did you get media coverage at the presentation?
On the day I received the official invitation to speak, I stopped by our local newspaper and I meet with K.C. Kotyk, a reporter. I told her about PH and told her that legislation is pending before the House of Representatives that could mean life or death for many people. Then I invited her to the presentation. She was very down to earth. It was just like speaking with a friend.
How did you prepare yourself for making this a successful event?
To be honest, I did not have a lot of time to prepare from the time I got the invitation until I did it. But there is one other thing I did that I believe will continue to make my event a success. I asked my online message board PH friends to write a brief Journeys-like story with anything they wanted these nurses to know. They brought tears to every eye in that classroom when I read them. I started with my story, because up to that point—about 45 minutes into the presentation—the nursing students did not know that I have PH. Their mouths dropped open. And they listened!
What do you think the PH community needs to know about advocacy and awareness work?
If you can write a letter, you can do it.
If you can make a phone call, you can do it.
If you can take a media packet to a reporter, you can do it.
If you can talk on a radio program, you can do it.
Take a deep breath and go for it. We are in this together!
This article originally appeared in the Summer, 2008 edition of Pathlight.
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