‍By. MPATHIK Leadership

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‍The work we do is so important. It’s personal. Something I do not take lightly and recognize is more than a job, it’s a responsibility.

Over the years of working in healthcare communications, I have spoken with countless patients, caregivers, and their families during some of their most vulnerable times. Recounting the earth-shattering moment their child was diagnosed with a disease with no treatment. Being told they should, “go home and love their baby”. Then being met with unimaginable joy, learning that same kiddo is eligible for what could be a lifesaving clinical trial. Experiencing the highest highs and the lowest lows of a person’s journey is undeniably personal, raw, and emotional.

After hearing these heartbreaking stories, I would often find myself riddled with pity. These people didn’t deserve to be faced with such tragedy. I quickly learned that while yes, although dealt a shitty hand, never, not once, did anyone want you to feel sorry for them. The acknowledgement of what they were going through was awful, but many times was overshadowed by the hope they carried to find a cure – if not for their baby, for the next family facing this awful reality.

For many years, I thought I understood what it meant to empathize with people. When in fact so many times empathy was mistaken for sympathy. And while there is space for both, it’s how our emotional intelligence can manage and recognize the difference. How we as outsiders, working in this industry, show up in these moments, is crucial to how we connect with those impacted by these diseases. When people feel that they are being listened to and we understand their emotions, they are more likely to feel a deep connection.

In an industry that partners with people in some of their most vulnerable times, it’s important to remember that it is our job to hold space and feel for them but ultimately, it’s our responsibility to feel with them. One of the most defining features of humanity is our capacity for empathy – the ability to put ourselves in others' shoes. This is one of the most vital traits in developing human connections and relationships. This belief is the foundation of everything we create for the communities we serve, as we recognize that leading with empathy is the only way.