Film series on people living with noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions: Helena's story

Actions accelerated now: Helena’s lived experience in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland  

Helena, a paediatrician and mother, living in Sheffield in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was already living with multiple disabilities caused by an auto-inflammatory disease when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2009.

“I went from being a very active, very dynamic paediatrician, mother, and athlete […] to being in a wheelchair. I was extremely independent, and – as a woman – felt very strongly about being a role model for my boys. I think that is what you have to learn to hang onto, that on the inside, you haven't changed.”, she recounts.

Helena is one of six people in a short film documentary that sheds light on the experiences of people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health conditions around the world. People with lived experience often can offer valuable expertise and powerful narratives on how to manage and improve their individual health as well as the health of fellow community members. Their first-hand insights can help shape policies, create better health programmes, and inspire others to contribute.

“My hopes for the future for everyone with NCDs is that they're valued and involved in planning their own care, that they have a louder voice to policymakers, that they're much more involved right from the beginning.”, concludes Helena in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Watch Helena’s story: