Supporting others

I’ve had a long history of supporting other mums with hypoparathyroidism. Between 2012 and 2020, I was a patient volunteer on the Management Committee and ‘Pregnancy Lead’ for Parathyroid UK where I spent nine rewarding years. Alongside other Mums, I provided support for pregnant women and new mums, via the Parathyroid UK Facebook support group.

Using my professional skills from over 20 years in advertising, I produced all of Parathyroid UK’s patient information and exhibition material, as well as an emergency card. Amongst the many activities I participated in, I sourced imagery, organised the design and print of materials, and represented the patient organisation at medical conferences.

Behind the butterfly

As part of my work with Parathyroid UK, I co-created the iconic butterfly logo (pictured) using their brand colours, to represent World Hypopara Awareness Day (WHAD). The logo has been adopted by 27 countries worldwide since its launch in 2014, and was made free for public use and for all hypoparathyroidism organisations to adopt if they wished. It has been translated into many different languages, also appearing on merchandise to help raise awareness and much-needed funds.