Together We Thrive

KidsHealth is the ultimate go-to website for learning about your body, health, and emotions in a fun and easy way! It’s packed with videos, articles, and Q&As to answer all the questions you might have about staying healthy and growing up.

Check out these cool features:

• How The Body Works: Watch fun 5-minute cartoons that explain different body systems!

• Puberty & Growing Up: Learn about puberty, how to take care of your health, and ways to express your feelings in a healthy way.

• Q&A Section: Ever wondered “How do casts work?” or “What’s a bruise?”? Find answers to all sorts of curious questions here.

Whether you’re curious about the human body, dealing with a health issue, or just looking for good advice, KidsHealth has something for you!

Do you know someone who has a long-term illness? Do you have one? In this 9-minute cartoon, follow Sammy on his journey through life with a chronic illness. You will learn what it means to have a chronic illness, how it can impact your life, and how it can be managed. It’s a fun and easy way to understand what’s going on in your body – and to see that you’re not alone.

Health Talk is a website that offers patient support for 50+ medical conditions including epilepsy, chronic pain, long-term health conditions, and many more. You can search for your condition, learn coping mechanisms from other patients and healthcare professionals, listen to personal stories, and connect on community forums.

This website is perfect for learning about your medical condition and how to tackle it!

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!

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 your body.

Are you looking for a creative way to express your emotions? In this 10-minute YouTube video, the creator Art By Stella Chang guides viewers in reflecting on their personal experiences while making art. She draws on her own experiences with lupus to paint a self-portrait featuring her growth, with the message that your illness does not define you. Follow along with the video to create your very own healing art piece!

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!

This quick three and a half minute video provides advice on how to find a balance to support both your health and academic goals. Tips include open communication to school staff, flexible scheduling, and finding alternative options such as online classes.

Do you want to educate a friend, classmate, family member or teacher about the challenges of dealing with chronic illness in school? This 9 minute video sheds light on the experiences of school-aged children (ages 8-17) with health conditions. They discuss how illness affects multiple aspects of their lives, including mental health, school and grades, extracurriculars, and more.

Do you wish your teacher understood your illness better? Do you want school to be easier and more fair for you and other kids like you? These letters were written by a mom whose kids have chronic illnesses. They help teachers learn how to support kids with health problems—both in class and outside of it.

Rare Youth Revolution is an online magazine for kids and teens living with rare medical conditions. This magazine helps empower youth and their families by sharing real stories and advice straight from other young people who understand what it’s like. 

Check out their wide range of topics:

• Women in RARE: Hear about the unique challenges and triumphs that girls and women face while living with rare conditions.

• Advocacy Corner: Learn how to speak up for yourself and get the care you deserve.

• Letters to My Younger Self: Young adults share what they wish they had known when they were younger and living with a rare disease.

• The World of Work: Get tips on how to transition into adulthood and start your career, even while managing a rare condition.

• Our Voices & Our Voices Kids: Read stories from other youth sharing their personal journeys, struggles, and successes.

• And many more!

Want to share your own story? You can submit your voice to be featured on their blog!

Have you ever wanted to have a friend who understands everything about your medical journey?  If you live in the USA, you can request a free “Medical Mini” stuffy that has the same condition as you. Bring your medical mini with you to support you wherever you go!

Fun Fact: Medical Minis was created by a young child with a medical illness, just like you!

Coach Art is an amazing program that connects kids and teens (ages 5-18) with chronic illnesses—and their healthy siblings—to weekly online art and sports sessions all across America! Whether you’re into drawing, painting, or trying out a new sport, Coach Art has something for everyone.

When you join, you’ll be paired with a super talented volunteer coach who will guide you through one-on-one sessions every week for 4 weeks. By the end of the month, you’ll get a chance to show off everything you’ve learned!

It’s a fun way to learn new skills, make awesome creations, and connect with others who get what you’re going through!

In this 7-minute TEDxYouth talk, Emily Bonia empowers young chronic illness patients to pave their own path to a successful life. She discusses how her Crohn’s Disease diagnosis impacted her dream career, and the steps she took to find a job that simultaneously accommodated to her medical needs and provided her a sense of fulfillment and joy.

This 7-minute video is a chronic illness campaign that sheds light on navigating high school with a new diagnosis. Watch this on your own to relate to the experience, or share this with your friends to start the conversation on what it means to be a young person with a health condition.

Disclaimer: We do not endorse the product that the company is selling at the end of the video.

Want to tell your friends about your illness, but don’t know where to begin? This blog post walks you through a short script to start the conversation. They also provide a script guiding your teacher in telling your classmates, if you’d like them to.

Do you have cancer and want to talk to your friends about it? Telling your friends about your cancer can be tough. You might be wondering “Where do I begin?”,  “How will my friends respond?”, or “How do I stay connected with my friends during treatment?”. If you want answers to these questions, this blog post is for you!

Would you like to know how to support someone with chronic illness, or do you want to give advice to your loved ones about how to best support you? This blog post explains why coping with a chronic illness is difficult, how social support can benefit the patient, and 8 tips on how to show your support.