Monday, May 13, 2013

Regina + Dave = Something else!

I feel grateful to know @ReginaHolliday (Regina Holliday) and to watch her use her artistry and her language as one of the world's most important patient advocates.  I also enjoyed watching today on her blog as she gently took apart someone who was trying to commercialize that advocacy role.  Among other things, she advised:

A word of advice: Don’t ever ask a patient activist how you can take advantage in the realm of patients…

She went further, and her article would have been enough, but then the first comment by e-Patient Dave deBronkart piles on with a blistering response that is worth a blog post in itself.  Directed at the person who wrote to Regina, he said:

Wake up and get a clue. (I'm being blunt because your situation is critical, as in ICU critical.) You just got $50,000 of marketing consulting from Regina Holliday. (I mean that literally. If you'd engaged a PR firm for $50,000 . . .  it would be worth every cent.)

If you feel defensive, squelch it and learn, buddy. Take every single word Regina said as gold. Or, really, honestly, non-snarky: find a different industry. This ain't appliances and iPhones.


Whew, these patient folks have gotten uppity, no?  I think it is great.

1 comment:

Regina Holliday said...

Dave and I working together is awesome. Thank you Paul for playing the sandbox with us :)