Together We Thrive

The Mighty is an online community where young patients can share their experiences, find support, and connect with others who truly get it. Whether you prefer reading stories, listening to podcasts, or joining discussions, there’s a space for you here!

You can explore The Mighty through their website, app, or YouTube channel, and they have 700+ health communities covering everything from rare disorders to ADHD, mental health, and more. Check out their “Teens & Young Adults” section to find support from people your age!

Content Warning: This resource discusses topics like mental illness, eating disorders, self-harm, and suicide.

In this 12-minute video, professional tennis star Venus Williams talks about her journey with Autoimmune Disease. She discusses how to get diagnosed, how to improve symptoms, how illness affects her life, and general advice for anyone dealing with a long-term illness. 

Her story is a reminder that your illness doesn’t define you. You can achieve your dreams if you believe in yourself!

The YouTube channel You Look Okay To Me is run by a young woman living with chronic illness. She makes 5-20 minute video essays discussing a variety of topics, including “The chronic illness guide to working from home”, “Why is it so hard to describe my pain”, and “Things not to say to someone with a chronic illness”. 

She also discusses intersections between being chronically ill and being a person of colour (POC), offering a perspective that is crucial in understanding the experiences of marginalized groups. 
Check out her instagram @youlookokaytome for reels and posts you can relate to!

Feeling confident in your body can be hard. It can be even harder when you have a health condition. In this 6-minute video, a girl with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome talks about how health conditions affect your body image. She reminds you that illness-related scars and body changes are a reminder of how strong you are! She also discusses how puberty changes your body and your feelings.

In this blog post, a patient with chronic fatigue syndrome discusses her struggles with how her illness affects her body image throughout her teens and young adult life. She discusses weight fluctuations, alterations in skin appearance, and shying away from the camera. She gives 7 tips to help improve your self-esteem and confidence to be proud of the body you have.

If you are entering your mid-to-late teens, you may have questions about how your chronic illness will affect your intimate relations with romantic partners. In this blog post, youth psychosexologist Moira Tzitzika discusses the vulnerable topics of body image, self esteem issues, deciding if/when to tell your partner about your illness, and possible effects chronic illness can have on sexuality.

Ever wondered about how your life would change if you took a drug that could change the course of your illness? In this hour and a half episode, a young woman with Cystic Fibrosis discusses her experience taking Trikafta, a life-altering drug. She delves into the challenges of adjusting to a new chapter in life, the effects of the drug on her mind, body, and future, and the unexpected burdens that come with taking the drug. If you are curious about the pros and cons of taking an illness-altering drug, this episode is for you!

Chronic Conundrums is a podcast channel that shares the voices of young people with health conditions. With a total of 8 episodes, they discuss the unique experience of being a kid or teen with chronic health conditions. Topics include hospital admissions, treatment, tackling adulthood, and more!