Creating communities, on and off PatientsLikeMe

More than half a million members, connecting 365 days a year, sharing countless health insights and words of support. Communities like this one are built on communication. And every day, patients like you are finding new ways to connect and enrich your community.

From in-person meet-ups to live-streaming support groups and off topic threads, patients like you are finding creative ways to build communities. Check out some of the ways connections are growing in and out of the forum.

Taking it offline

What started as a simple chat between friends in the forum evolved into something much bigger. Members from the multiple myeloma community on PatientsLikeMe decided to take their friendship out of the forums and into real life. Marcia (marcia_holman), Dennis (DennisIvan), Paul (paulatsea) and Lee (Dapylil), along with spouses and grandchildren, got together and discussed life with multiple myeloma, their “new normal” and shared the highs and lows of the journey together.

In Marcia’s words: “It has been a delight to get together and meet someone you have just been corresponding with on line. We can put a face to them. You get to know their personalities and they become “forever friends!” Check out the full story.

 

Connecting to transform lives

When Nola, living with progressive MS, was having trouble making her bathroom handicap accessible, Gary decided to jump in and help. He used his connections at Home Depot (where he worked) to help Nola regain her independence, her ability to clean herself, and most importantly, her dignity. Check out photos of her remodeled, handicap accessible bathroom and rest of their story on the blog.

 

Meeting members where they are

Earlier this year, John started a Facebook group to live-stream pulmonary fibrosis (PF) support group meetings and conferences. His hope is that the group “can help with the feelings of isolation and loneliness, plus provide valuable information and hope for the future.”

Unwinding in off-topic threads

Members use off-topic threads to play games, celebrate life and each other, and to take a break from the stress of living with a chronic illness. Here’s a few popular threads:

  • A thread to celebrate us! Going strong since 2010, this thread was created as a “happy place” for MS members looking for positivity and support.
  • In the Parkinson’s disease forum, members have swapped lots of jokes and pics of their artwork for almost a decade.
  • Members of the mental health community have kept their “Three word story” thread going strong for seven years, and shared their “Goals for today” with each other for even longer.
  • Potpourri” and reading recommendation threads in the ALS forum have been go-to places to share about non-ALS stuff.

Are you part of the PatientsLikeMe community? Join to add your voice and create your own community.

 

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1 thought on “Creating communities, on and off PatientsLikeMe”

  1. Trying to connect with other people who have scoliosis and find out what they do for pain management and additional treatments.

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