What's New?

CDC’s Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) is proud to share with you the personal stories of five TB survivors: Mildred, Shaka, Kelly, Emily, and Jerry. These new stories are part of our ongoing TB Personal Stories series to help raise awareness about TB in the United States. You can view the video, print, and social media content for each survivor by visiting CDC’s TB Personal Stories website.

Mildred: Like many people, Mildred thought TB could only affect the lungs. She was surprised when she was diagnosed with TB in her epiglottis. With support from her family and nurses from the health department she completed treatment. Mildred’s Story
Shaka: Once Shaka was diagnosed with TB, he was relieved to finally know what was making him sick. Visits from friends and family helped him through a difficult treatment process. Now Shaka is back to doing what he loves – teaching and performing salsa. Shaka’s Story
Kelly: As both a TB patient, and a physician who cares for TB patients, Dr. Holland knows the impact TB has on patients’ lives. He wants to increase TB awareness among his health care provider colleagues. Kelly’s Story
Emily: Emily’s TB was difficult to diagnose. It was not until doctors tested fluid between her heart and lungs that she learned she had TB. After completing treatment, she now works in health care, where she uses her story to connect with and help patients. Emily’s Story
Jerry: Jerry faced many barriers when he was diagnosed with TB disease. He would have never guessed how much his life would turn around because of TB. Jerry says, “TB actually saved my life, it really did.” Jerry’s Story

We are also excited to share with you two new types of video content.

TB Personal Stories Montage videos: These videos combine footage across multiple survivors as they discuss a particular TB topic.

TB control professional: Kim Do, a TB control professional with two decades of experience, describes his work helping TB patients overcome substantial barriers and completing treatment. Kim’s Story

Why Are These Stories Important?

Many TB patients report feeling isolated and stigmatized through their treatment. Hearing from TB survivors who can share their experiences can be a helpful motivational tool that TB programs and health care providers can use to encourage patients to complete treatment. Using patient stories in online, print, and social media content is also a powerful tool to reach clinicians, policy makers, and members of the public less familiar with TB.

How Should I Use These Stories?

You can use these stories for patient education, media, and other awareness activities. Promote these stories through your organization’s email lists, newsletter, and other communication channels. You can also share individual stories on social media using the social media graphics included on each survivor’s story page. For example, below are graphics and suggested text for the series and each survivor you can use to share with your followers. Each graphic is attached as a separate file for your use.

CDC’s Division of #Tuberculosis Elimination is proud to share personal stories of five #TB survivors: Mildred, Shaka, Kelly, Emily, and Jerry. Learn about their experiences https://go.usa.gov/xEbsU

#TB is still a life-threatening problem in this country. Visit @CDC_TB’s TB Personal Stories website to see stories highlighting the personal experiences of several people diagnosed and treated for #tuberculosis disease. https://go.usa.gov/xEbsU

Mildred, a TB survivor, advises TB patients to “talk to your doctors and demand the care that you know you deserve to get well.” Read about Mildred’s story: https://go.usa.gov/xEjGY

As both a TB patient, and a physician who cares for TB patients, Dr. Kelly Holland knows the impact TB has on patients’ lives. Read about his story: https://go.usa.gov/xEjG4

Since completing TB treatment, Emily now works in health care where she uses her story to connect with patients. https://go.usa.gov/xEbsG

Once Shaka was diagnosed with TB, he was relieved to finally know what was making him sick. https://go.usa.gov/xEbsy

“TB actually saved my life.” https://go.usa.gov/xEjG2

Who Helped Make These Stories?

DTBE would like to thank We Are TB, The National TB Controllers Association, and the Stop TB USA for their contributions to this project. Over the past 4 years, these organizations have gathered a group of TB survivors to participate in a communication training workshop at the annual NTCA conference. DTBE has collaborated with survivors from these groups, as well as those identified from other TB programs, to feature in our TB Personal Stories series.