As Einstein famously postulated, time is relative. I will make use of this fact to take you back in time to my visit to Tallahassee, Florida (schedules prevented our advocate and me from posting a few days ago).
I like Tallahassee, it is one of few state capitals with the vibe of a coastal city. This can get confusing, however, as the city center is about 30 miles from the coast. No matter, when is Florida do as the Floridians do…
Palm trees right in front of the capitol building!
Now that I’m here (time travel is great), I’m delighted to introduce you to NORD’s local State Ambassador, Fran Hokkanen. Once again, I’ll let it to our advocate tell her story in her own words:
“Like many of us, the journey into rare diseases began the moment my daughter was born. The flurry of doctors, multiple tests and several days without definite answers seemed a lifetime. A definitive diagnosis gave my family our daily regime, something seemingly far more overwhelming than anything you read when ‘you are expecting.’ After several months of tests and medication adjustments I knew I needed to be more involved in advocacy for people with her disease. Several visits to my local EMS and legislators I knew the process of change isn’t as simple as I hoped.
NORD State Ambassador, Fran Hokkanen
At the beginning of 2015 I came across NORD doing a national Rare Diseases Day event. I signed up to have a table in the capitol rotunda and met many other families advocating for their loved ones’ diseases. Meeting the NORD rep I was impressed with the overall message of patient advocacy and signed up to help other families navigate the complex system of change.
I am interested in local-level advocacy efforts and providing resources to families looking to get started. Additionally, I look forward to guiding people wanting to bring their issues to the attention key change agents at both the state and national level.”
Fran and I are still working out the kinks of setting up her contact info. So if you want to get in touch with her, feel free to send me a message at the number or email below and I’ll make sure she gets in touch with you.
Join the road trip on twitter with #RareAction
Want to learn more about the Rare Action Network™ and how you can join? Visit us on our website here.
About Tim Boyd
Tim is NORD’s Associate Director of State Policy. He lives and works in Washington, D.C. Feel free to reach out to Tim at [email protected] or at (202) 545-3830.
Your donation will help more than 30 million Americans with a rare disease navigate their diagnosis, receive financial assistance, and access the care and support they deserve. Make your tax-deductible gift today!
