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Corey Reich

Diagnosed with ALS in 2007
Founded "Corey's Crusade" to give voice to ALS sufferers

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Robert Villanueva

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2001
Became national speaker & trainer for The National Alliance on Mental Illness

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Lisa Ford Berry

Lost son, Michael, to peer abuse-driven suicide
Created nonprofit organization to combat peer abuse

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Meet our Advocates

Their stories of turning adversity
into advocacy will inspire you!

Browse through our collection of inspiring stories from our incredible advocates.

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Chris Downey

Chris Downey

Chris Downey Adversity: Lost his sight due to a brain tumor Advocacy: Became an accessibility design expert and advocate for the blind "As an architect without sight, I endeavor to build bridges across the visual divide while removing ill-conceived walls...

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Stephanie Snow Gebel

Stephanie Snow Gebel

Stephanie Snow Gebel Adversity: Daughter diagnosed with Wolfram syndrome Advocacy: Founded The Snow Foundation to fund trials, provide support and resources "My greatest priority is to be a strong voice for rare disease and to provide hope for my daughter,...

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Barbara Claypole White

Barbara Claypole White

Barbara Claypole White Adversity: Son diagnosed with OCD at age 8 Advocacy: Uses fiction writing and blogging to provide hope to those with OCD "Readers often say, ‘I’ve never told anyone this before…’ And the book clubs I visit turn into therapy. People...

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Brad Bulla

Brad Bulla

Brad Bulla Adversity: Son died in a drunk driving accident where he was the passenger Educates others about drunk driving and advocates for violent crime victims "By sharing my story, perhaps I can make a statistic come to life and touch someone’s heart....

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Adrianne Haslet-Davis

Adrianne Haslet-Davis

Adrianne Haslet-Davis Adversity: Lost left leg from knee down in Boston Marathon bombing Advocacy: Worldwide advocate on behalf of amputees "As an advocate for amputees around the globe I am in constant awareness of how my actions can help. In this world...

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Lindsay Avner

Lindsay Avner

Lindsay Avner Adversity: High risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer Advocacy: Started a nonprofit to save lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering young women to live proactively "I love nothing more than a woman empowered to be proactive...

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Kelly Brush

Kelly Brush

Kelly Brush Adversity: Paralysis Advocacy: Started a foundation to provide adaptive sports equipment and increase safety in ski racing, the sport in which she was injured "Through participating in adaptive sports after my injury, I proved to myself that...

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Meryl Comer

Meryl Comer

Meryl Comer Adversity: Husband and mother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Advocacy: Authored a book to advocate for caregivers, families and research "Being an advocate is my way of "flipping the pain" as a 20-year caregiver for my husband and mother with...

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Lennon Flowers

Lennon Flowers

Lennon Flowers Adversity: Grief and Loss Advocacy: Support Groups/ Non Profit for young adults experiencing significant loss "To me, it's not a matter of helping, so much as it is creating the conditions in which people can thrive. I helped to create the...

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Dr BJ Miller

Dr BJ Miller

BJ Miller Adversity: Triple amputee, near-death experience Advocacy: Provides palliative care to patients living and suffering with serious illness "With my dramatic adversity comes the possibility for dramatic joy. Sharing this with others makes sweet of...

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Becky Fein

Becky Fein

Becky Fein Adversity: Sexual assault victim Advocacy: Co-founder and director of The Powerful Voices Project "Talking about my sexual assault with others, and hearing about theirs, has allowed us to create strength out of an experience that had been deeply...

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