emotive shows its stripes in support of Rare Disease Day 2023

At emotive, we are passionate about our work in rare diseases and aim to be a positive force towards improving the lives of people affected by rare diseases. We have kicked off 2023 with our continued support of Medics4RareDiseases (M4RD) during their annual symposium, and today, the emotive team busted out some stripy socks in support of Rare Disease Day 2023.??

What is Rare Disease Day??

Rare Disease Day is an annual event to raise awareness about rare diseases and their impact on individuals, families and communities. Rare diseases are defined as those that affect a small number of people compared with the general population. However, collectively, rare diseases affect over 300 million people worldwide. More than 7000 have been identified to date, and they are often chronic, debilitating and life-threatening.?

First established in 2008, Rare Disease Day has become a global event during which people affected by rare diseases come together to share their stories and advocate for better research, treatment and care. It is a chance to celebrate the courage and resilience of patients and their families and to recognise the contributions of healthcare professionals, researchers and advocates who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people affected by rare diseases.?

Rare Disease Day is held on the last day of February each year.?To learn more about Rare Disease Day, visit www.rarediseaseday.org

What are we doing?

As a company, our vision is to inspire change that has a positive impact on people’s health. With 50% of our work focused on rare diseases, we have come to learn that while on the surface these diseases appear largely dissimilar, patients and their families face very similar challenges, including navigating the world of healthcare.

For several years, we have partnered with M4RD, a UK-registered charity driving a change in attitude among medical students and doctors in training. emotive provides pro-bono work for M4RD, supporting them with many of their projects, including their annual symposium, ‘The Unusual Suspects: Rare Diseases in Everyday Medicine’. This year’s meeting was focused on the emotional well-being of those living with a rare disease, with patients recounting their experiences and healthcare professionals providing tips to support patients and advocating for mental health to be an integral part of care rather than an afterthought.?

Show your stripes!

For the rare disease community, the old adage in medical education “if you hear hooves, think horse not zebra” is considered outdated. Therefore, to turn this misperception on itself, this Rare Disease Day, M4RD is encouraging everyone to #ShowYourStripes by wearing stripy socks and sharing your photos on social media.??

Rare diseases are important to all of us at emotive every day of the year, but Rare Disease Day provides an extra opportunity to share our passion. Be sure to check out our social media platforms this Rare Disease Day as we join M4RD in donning colourful and stripy hosiery.?

To find out more about rare diseases, visit Rare Disease UK at www.raredisease.org.uk. You can learn more about the great work of M4RD – including our partnership – on their website and across social media.?