TRISHNA BHARADIA – Advocate
Topic: An “Accidental” Leader:
Living Life Positively with Chronic Illness.

Get To Know Trishna Bharadia
Trishna Bharadia is a multi-award winning advocate for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic illness and disability. She was diagnosed with MS, aged 28, in 2008, and has used her experiences to help others to cope with such a life-changing situation in as positive a way as possible, largely through charitable work.

Although she’s a full-time translator, in her spare time she collaborates with organisations in the UK and abroad, including the MS Society (Ambassador), Sue Ryder (Ambassador), the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association (Patron), the Huntingdon & Cambridge MS Therapy Centre (Patron), Asian MS (Newsletter Editor and Committee member), the MS Trust, MS-UK, the European MS Platform, the Patient Information Forum, Disability Horizons and various pharmaceutical companies, among others, to raise awareness about MS and improve support for people living with chronic illness/disability. Awards include MS Society Volunteer of the Year 2013, Sue Ryder Southern Women of Achievement Award 2015, Woman of Achievement 2015 (Women of the Year Foundation) and the Precious Leadership Award 2016. She was also a Divas of Colour finalist in the Inspirational Diva category in 2016.

She speaks at events and in the media about issues affecting people with MS/chronic illness/disability, campaigns, writes, vlogs, blogs, advises on health-related projects/research studies and helps to educate pharmaceutical staff and healthcare professionals about living with MS/chronic illness. Key projects in which Trishna has taken a leading role include the development of an innovative six-week “Living Well with MS” course for Sue Ryder Nettlebed, being on the steering committee for the ‘The World vs MS Project’ run by Sanofi Genzyme, and being a member of “The Ozone” virtual round table for key opinion leaders across healthcare specialties by Oyster Healthcare. In 2015 she gave MS possibly the largest platform it’s ever had in the UK by being chosen to appear in the first ever “People’s Strictly for Comic Relief” on BBC1, a four-part Strictly Come Dancing spin-off, in recognition of her charity work; and in September that year she was given the privilege of being guest speaker at an MS Society reception hosted by Samantha Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

She’s been especially pioneering within the Asian community, where chronic illness/disability, especially for women, is still not talked about openly and where many people who are affected face stigmatisation and prejudice. Trishna has been “out and proud” about living with chronic illness and how to continue to live life positively, in the hope that it will encourage others to come forward and seek the help that they might need.

Trishna’s impact in the world of MS has been immense, particularly when it comes to increasing understanding and showing people how living a positive life is possible with chronic illness. She’s been hailed as a role model and inspiration to others and is constantly trying to break down barriers to ensure that people with long-term health conditions can feel supported and valued in society.

TWITTER: @TrishnaBharadia

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/trishnabharadia2015