| Illness is a journey like no other. One thing I know now is that I am not illness. When I see pictures of myself from the past, I see sickness moving through my body. I can also see that the person inside remains the same. -Tiffany Christensen |
| CF patient and two-time double lung transplant recipient * Author of "Sick Girl Speaks!" Certified Advance Care Planning Facilitator/Instructor * TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer National Speaker and Workshop Leader * Chair of the Duke Patient Advocacy Council |
Tiffany Christensen has lived with illness from the time she was born. At 6 months of age, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic
illness that primarily affected her lungs. Due to CF and chronic rejection, Tiffany has undergone two double lung transplants and uses this
as the foundation for her work and presentations on modern healthcare.
In January of 2008, Sick Girl Speaks Inc. was created and Tiffany was excited to begin working with Project Compassion on a grant
project entitled "Finding Your Voice." In April of 2008, Tiffany became certified in the "Respecting Choices" La Crosse model of Advance
Care Planning Facilitation. She is also certified to teach this model to those who wish to be facilitators. In 2009, Tiffany also became a
certified TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer and is happy to say she is the first patient to do so.
Throughout 2008, Tiffany presented nearly 100 workshops/lectures on the patient perspective, Patient Advocacy, Advance Directives
and Organ/Tissue Donation. Some of the highlights from 2008 include "Life in the Deathbed" at John's Hopkins Medical Center Grand
Rounds, regular invitations to speak to Duke Medical and Nursing Students, and performing her one woman show "The Permanent Me"
at the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute National Conference in Redwood City, CA.
Tiffany's writings have been seen in various newsletters and magazines including Boom!, CF Roundtable, and Airways. Listen for her on
the popular national NPR radio show, "The People's Pharmacy." In April of 2009 Tiffany's piece "Finding Your Voice as a Patient
Advocate" was published in the North Carolina Medical Journal.
2009 proved to be another exciting year with the expansion of "Finding Your Voice" throughout North Carolina and conferences
throughout the United States including the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Clinical Conference where she will
presented her workshop "Growing Up Dying; Shifting the Patient Paradigm."
In addition to her own efforts, Tiffany is contributing to the work of Project Compassion as part of the Community Engagement Team and
Advisory Board. She is a member of UNC Hospital's Bereavement Committee and helps in the fund raising efforts for The Sweet Melissa
Fund and The North Carolina Transplant Foundation. Tiffany volunteers with Carolina Donor Services and has served as a board
member for Second Wind Lung Transplant Association. She is currently proud to be a member and Chair for the Duke Health System's
Patient Advocacy Council.
illness that primarily affected her lungs. Due to CF and chronic rejection, Tiffany has undergone two double lung transplants and uses this
as the foundation for her work and presentations on modern healthcare.
In January of 2008, Sick Girl Speaks Inc. was created and Tiffany was excited to begin working with Project Compassion on a grant
project entitled "Finding Your Voice." In April of 2008, Tiffany became certified in the "Respecting Choices" La Crosse model of Advance
Care Planning Facilitation. She is also certified to teach this model to those who wish to be facilitators. In 2009, Tiffany also became a
certified TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer and is happy to say she is the first patient to do so.
Throughout 2008, Tiffany presented nearly 100 workshops/lectures on the patient perspective, Patient Advocacy, Advance Directives
and Organ/Tissue Donation. Some of the highlights from 2008 include "Life in the Deathbed" at John's Hopkins Medical Center Grand
Rounds, regular invitations to speak to Duke Medical and Nursing Students, and performing her one woman show "The Permanent Me"
at the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute National Conference in Redwood City, CA.
Tiffany's writings have been seen in various newsletters and magazines including Boom!, CF Roundtable, and Airways. Listen for her on
the popular national NPR radio show, "The People's Pharmacy." In April of 2009 Tiffany's piece "Finding Your Voice as a Patient
Advocate" was published in the North Carolina Medical Journal.
2009 proved to be another exciting year with the expansion of "Finding Your Voice" throughout North Carolina and conferences
throughout the United States including the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Clinical Conference where she will
presented her workshop "Growing Up Dying; Shifting the Patient Paradigm."
In addition to her own efforts, Tiffany is contributing to the work of Project Compassion as part of the Community Engagement Team and
Advisory Board. She is a member of UNC Hospital's Bereavement Committee and helps in the fund raising efforts for The Sweet Melissa
Fund and The North Carolina Transplant Foundation. Tiffany volunteers with Carolina Donor Services and has served as a board
member for Second Wind Lung Transplant Association. She is currently proud to be a member and Chair for the Duke Health System's
Patient Advocacy Council.
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For a more personal insight,
| Email correspondence may be sent to: tiffany@sickgirlspeaks.com |
| You can buy "Sick Girl Speaks!" off of this website by clicking the "Add to Cart" button! |
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