CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — June 23, 2011 — Today, the health website PatientsLikeMe reveals the winners of its first-ever “Express Yourself” video contest in which members were asked to answer the question – “How has PatientsLikeMe changed your life?” Congratulations to these top winners chosen across three different categories:
Most Creative Presentation:
tiredoftired of New Jersey for Depression Feels Like
Most Inspiring Story:
tired old me of Delaware for Patients Like Me: Bonnie Tipton
Top Voted (by peers):
Roulette67 of New Jersey for I Am Not Alone
“We were wowed by all of the video entries for this contest. You can’t watch these and not be inspired,” says Ben Heywood, Co-founder and President of PatientsLikeMe. “These videos not only capture what it’s like to live with a condition like depression or MS, but also encapsulate the true value of sharing your story and experiences with others.”
Chosen to win Most Creative Presentation, the video by tiredoftired uses a mix of powerful analogies (“Depression feels like…walking in an impenetrable fog on a path with no end”) and images to describe how “with all that PatientsLikeMe has offered me, I have come to feel less alone.”
Adds the 28-year old member, “Creating this video allowed me to portray what it means to be depressed and dissolve some of the social stigma of mental illness. Depression isolates even in the most social of settings and therefore a support system is an integral part of recovery, especially when provided by friends and family.”
Multiple sclerosis patient, tired old me (Most Inspiring Story), and bipolar patient, Roulette67 (Top Voted), come face-to-face with the camera to tell their stories. In describing what she has learned on the site, 44-year oldRoulette67 says – “By sharing, I grow. By sharing, I learn and experience and evolve…you can’t really do [that] on your own.”
Comments 48-year old tired old me, “I want to say that this contest has been the highlight of this month, which contained too many very deep lowlights! The entire experience was a blast.”
(Click here to view all 6 winning video submissions)
About PatientsLikeMe
PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is where people with every type of condition are coming together to share their health experiences, find patients like them and learn how to take control of their health. The result is improved care for patients as well as an acceleration of real-world medical research. (Follow us: www.twitter.com/PatientsLikeMe | https://blog.patientslikeme.com)
