Picture of the Second annual Youth Group Meeting

“It is so good to feel that our voice matters”

The needs and expectations of young patients do not necessarily match those of adult patients. This is the reason why EPF has launched into a youth strategy in 2010 and established the youth group in 2011. Marta Dimitrova, president of EPF Youth Group, talks about her experience of being a representative of young patients through an umbrella like EPF.

I am very thankful to be part of the EPF Youth Group as I admire EPF, its goals, values and efforts. I admire people who are trying to change things and I hope that one day I will be part of it. Ever since I was little I have always met a lot of people with fewer opportunities in life and these people deserve to be recognised. Even if I am not a patient myself, such experiences made me wish to support and help them while others ignore their existence.

At EPF I have really the impression that my voice matters. I want to take this chance to raise the voice of patients and specifically young ones as we are not always heard. 

Young patients are pretty different from the adult ones. Most of them live their disease like a nightmare and with a lot of stress. They feel different and, at the same time, sometimes refuse to admit that they have a problem and prefer to keep it secret to be “like the others”. For that reason their needs and expectations differ completely and should be tackled differently as well. They need to realise that they are not alone and to feel that they can trust people who are in connection with their sickness and who are willing to help. Through the Youth Strategy, we learn how to strengthen our representatives’ skills and self-confidence. This equips us for our future representation in patient organisations.

EMPATHY is the best example of it! This four-day seminar will show young patients that, first of all, they are not alone and allow them to meet European policy-makers and stakeholders that are active in the field of health. We really expect a lot from this event and we will put our hearts and souls to make it a success and bring a lot of positive and confident smiles in the end.”

Marta Dimitrova

Marta Dimitrova

President of EPF Youth Group

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