Personal Stories

University of Michigan Transplant Center Peer Mentoring Program
Hear what patients and peer mentors at the University of Michigan are saying about the value of peer mentoring.

The Family Support Network™ of Western North Carolina (WNC) is an outreach program of Mission Children's Hospital that provides families with resources and support to help with the daily realities of parenting children with special needs.

In Anne Arundel Medical Center's (AAMC) Late Fall 2014 Living Healthier Together, read about Judy Crane's story as stroke survivor, advisor, and coordinator of The Power of 2 program. In 2014, AAMC identified peer support as a Patient- and Family-Centered Care Annual Goal. The Peer Mentorship Program—The Power of 2—matches recent stroke survivors with mentors who themselves are veterans of the stroke experience. The mentors complete special training. Through one-on-one time together, stroke survivors have the opportunity to ask questions, discuss challenges and concerns, and feel connected to people who have adjusted to life after a stroke. Learn more details about Power of 2 at http://www.aahs.org/stroke/peertopeer.php.

Read Laura Landro's May 11, 2015 Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article (subscription required), Mentors Help Patients with Rehab and Offer Insider Tips Along the Way, which explores how former patients can act as mentors and coaches for current patients. Examples include helping patients recover from surgery, manage their diabetes, and cope with "the rigors of life-sustaining dialysis treatments multiple times a week." The article includes stories of patient experiences at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) in Annapolis, MD, and at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS), both of which offer peer mentor programs. Celeste Castillo Lee, former Program Manager for Patient- and Family-Centered Care at UMHS, says the goal "is to harness the wisdom of patients dealing with chronic illness and leverage them to be part of the care team."