In recent months, we have been delighted to welcome two new staff to our team. Chelsea Wong started in January 2024, in a brand new role as the Young Person and Family Support Officer. Nakita Cambow filled our vacant Social Media and Projects Officer role in February 2024. We are excited to see our team grow, enabling us to further improve the services we provide. Here are some statements from Chelsea and Nakita:

Chelsea Wong – Young Person and Family Support Officer

I started my journey in health advocacy at the age of 14 when I was diagnosed with lupus. This provided many challenges to me growing up. I lost part of my childhood to spending time in hospital, and learned to fight for what I had the right to – equitable healthcare. I also learned to find necessary accommodations in education and, with my stubbornness, this led to me graduating from the University of Aberdeen in Business Management and Psychology.

After graduating, I interned at RARE Youth Revolution, where I amplified the voices of young people impacted by rare diseases. I met so many amazing individuals within the community, sharing their stories and spreading awareness for rare diseases. I became part of several groups, like ‘Experts by Experience,’ and ‘Rare Disease Research Network’ and worked with other organisations, such as Cambridge Rare Disease Network and Medics 4 Rare Diseases, to have a youth voice in events. I am also a Trustee and Administrative Volunteer for Cards for Bravery, a charity dedicated to brightening the days of hospitalised children with the distribution of positive, handmade cards, activity packs and bravery packages. When I was first diagnosed almost 10 years ago, my brother gave me a ‘Get Well Soon’ card signed by all my peers at school. This simple, but kind, act showed me the impact Cards for Bravery has, as well as the affect my condition had on my brother.

All this previous experience has taught me several skills I hope to take with me into this new role at LUPUS UK: the Young Person and Family Support Officer. I have always had a passion for supporting other people, where I try my best to use a combination of my experience and my love for creativity to find new ways of reaching new people with information.

In this new role, I hope to build a stronger connection with the lupus youth community. I would love to help them become confident advocates, whether that be in the healthcare system, education, employment, or just to be comfortable talking about it with the people around them. I hope my own experience can help drive untapped resources from all aspects of lupus, so nobody newly diagnosed ever feels they must go through the many obstacles of lupus alone. I will be working extremely hard to ensure that we meet the needs of young people with lupus, including their families, siblings and carers who are sometimes forgotten about. Providing them a safe space to be themselves with their condition and be comfortable doing so is extremely important to me as I want them to feel less isolated and that their voices matter.

Outside of my role, I like to keep busy with meeting friends and doing various hobbies. These include playing table tennis and being creative in any way possible, such as crocheting, drawing, and writing.

I am extremely excited to shape this role and to support young people and their families affected by lupus. I cannot wait to get started and work with all the other amazing members at LUPUS UK!

Nakita Cambow – Social Media & Projects Officer

I am honored and thrilled to join LUPUS UK as the Social Media and Projects Officer! As I step into this role, I am filled with a profound sense of purpose and commitment to supporting and empowering those affected by lupus. I was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 15 and have since advocated and raised awareness for lupus on my own social media platforms.

I have always been passionate about helping to improve the lives of others. Some of my previous work include volunteering at university as a peer mentor for the student disability and inclusion team and working as a learning support assistant at a local primary school. These roles were incredibly rewarding and allowed me to work alongside a diverse range of individuals with complex needs and health conditions. My new role at LUPUS UK aligns seamlessly with my desire to support people, my experiences having lupus and my enthusiasm for social media marketing. I have two years of experience in social media through volunteering on a cultural society at the University of Southampton whilst completing my psychology degree. This is where I developed a passion for creating content that resonates with a target audience.  

The Social Media and Projects Officer role at LUPUS UK consists of much more than social media strategy, content creation and engagement. I will be moderating the HealthUnlocked forum, maintaining the website, communicating with our wonderful community and plenty more. Despite only being here for a week, I’ve already been working on some exciting projects, such as the E-newsletter and world lupus day poster.

The amazing team at LUPUS UK have made me feel so welcome, and I look forward to collaborating with such talented and compassionate individuals. I plan to learn as much as I can during my first few months, ask questions and write everything down!!  I am so excited to see what the future brings!