we are TB:
TUBERCULOSIS SURVIVORS
& ADVOCATES
we are TB offers comprehensive peer support for current TB patients and TB clinics. we are TB is a growing survivor network that is fighting to achieve change in TB diagnostics, treatment regimens, and funding to support US-based public health programs. The group specializes in connecting medical professionals and current TB patients to TB survivors. We bring an unparalleled depth of knowledge and provide compassionate support while using personal stories to empower survivors to break the stigma.
Dedicated To:
Nora Rodrigeuz
In 2015 the first Tuberculosis communications training was held in Denver, CO with six survivors. When Nora Rodriguez walked in, she did not know why she was there or how this experience would change her life. Nora thought she would learn more about the disease and meet some fellow fighters who had experienced TB. What she didn’t know was that she would become a resonating voice for we are TB and her legacy would help raise awareness and drive change in the advocacy efforts in years to follow.
Nora was still undergoing treatment for MDR-TB when she started advocating on behalf of we are TB. Though she had lost most of her energy, much of her hearing, and even her balance at times, she was committed to play a part and share her story so that the U.S. could once again know about Tuberculosis, the people it affects, and the help the community needs to defeat it. Following the communications training in 2015, Nora visited Washington, D.C. to speak to her representatives, an annual event that has taken place every year since. Nora also kicked off the 2016 National TB Controller’s Conference with her gentle presence while receiving the TB Advocacy Award.
In 2016, much too soon, and just weeks shy of her final treatment, Nora, the core of we are TB, passed away tragically from complications of TB. Her legacy lives on through her two beautiful daughters, her family and friends, her community, and her we are TB family.
