When Jen Weaver was diagnosed with psoriasis in 2017 (after five years handling rheumatoid arthritis), she was 36 years old and had three busy kids. Her plaques were very visible–she said they covered her “from head to toe”--and very painful. Psoriasis meant a step into a world where people noticed her auto-immune condition for the first time, and the reaction was far from comforting. So Jen found her people, and now runs a community and resource bank called “My Spoonie Sisters” (Why spoons? Listen to find out!). In our step into history, we trace the origins of the stigma against psoriasis and the key figures in dispelling that stigma. History, and Jen, show us that education busts stigma.

Explain This to Me: Brian Lehrschall on Self-Advocacy, From a Doctor's Office to Capitol Hill
32:47

"I Didn't Know How to Be a Partner in My Own Care": Joel Nelson on Learning Self-Advocacy Late
42:41

Ask A Doctor: Dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon on Maximizing Your Appointments and the Research Gap
31:45