WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF CHANGE
Rebrand thyroid diseases and thyroid cancers, for ourselves. Change the publics perception of how thyroid diseases and thyroid cancers affect patients and families, financially, emotionally and physically. Misconceptions about thyroid diseases and thyroid cancers are rampant. We come together to give this disease a voice and a face, in our own words. By doing so, we hope to find healing, raise awareness and eventually a cure.
50 Million Americans (women, teens and men) have a thyroid condition, primarily hypothyroidism. 13 Million People have Graves Disease. 1.5 million Adults and 205,000 children have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Over 37,000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed each year. 13 Million People have an undiagnosed thyroid disorder. 1 in 8 women during their lifetime will have some form of thyroid disease. Thyroid cancers and thyroid diseases are growing at an alarming rate amongst teens and young adults. This disease affects women, teens and men. Because thyroid disease and thyroid cancer is less prevalent in men, they feel as isolated and alone and scared as women and teens do.
More often than not, doctors dismiss patients laments, chalking them up to a figment of their imagination, when really, these patients are so sick, they cannot live a healthy life because they can’t get a diagnosis and, or proper treatment. The issues patients face, are as extensive once diagnosed. Worse, insurance companies drop patients with private health insurance post-diagnosis (with certain autoimmune thyroid diseases). Should a patient be lucky enough to procure insurance, their medical bills and prescriptions are exorbitant, rendering them financially destitute.
Dear Thyroid is committed to being part of the solution. As a community, we invoke change, one letter, one column, one image, one meet-up, one awareness band at a time. We are a collective, unrelenting, unstoppable movement. Join us.