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