Thank you Rebecca! What perfect timing. I am lying in bed working 3 days post op from a venogram with IVUS. I am in a tremendous amount of pain and waiting to hear from my surgeon. I am also on boarding several new clients today and catching up with billing. All I want to do is sleep. Finding the balance is challenging for sure. Being an independent patient advocate and someone who also is chronically ill is incredible. I am so grateful that I can advocate for others and also that I get to have an advocate myself. One of the best things I have recently done is begun working with another advocate. We trade services. I find taking care of myself is much harder than taking care of someone else. She does too. The mutual aid is incredible. I am excited to see what happens in this space. Thank you for creating it.
Hi Kathaleen, I am so sorry I missed this. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any other needs or if this need has not already been met. Thank you, Rachel Garvin
Hi I am happy to talk this through with you and share my experience but honestly it sounds like you have done most of the things I would do. Please feel free to call me 512-409-8548 anytime.
Hi everyone — I’m Rachel Garvin, BSN, RN, SANE-A, founder of 14th Street Advocacy, LLC.
I’ve spent close to 20 years as a nurse and nearly three decades working in healthcare, and over that time I repeatedly found myself drawn to the space between patients and the healthcare system — helping people understand what was happening, preparing them for difficult appointments, and trying to bring some clarity to complicated medical situations. Eventually I realized that the work I was most passionate about was advocacy, which led me to start my practice.
Today I support individuals and families navigating complex or poorly understood medical conditions, especially when care is fragmented across multiple specialties. Much of my work involves medical record review, care strategy, appointment preparation, and helping patients communicate more effectively with their care teams.
I’m particularly interested in cases involving autonomic dysfunction, connective tissue disorders, chronic neurologic illness, and medically complex patients who are struggling to find a coherent path forward in the healthcare system.
I’m glad to be here and look forward to connecting with others doing this work.
I’ve spent close to 20 years as a nurse and nearly three decades working in healthcare, and over that time I repeatedly found myself drawn to the space between patients and the healthcare system — helping people understand what was happening, preparing them for difficult appointments, and trying to bring some clarity to complicated medical situations. Eventually I realized that the work I was most passionate about was advocacy, which led me to start my practice.
Today I support individuals and families navigating complex or poorly understood medical conditions, especially when care is fragmented across multiple specialties. Much of my work involves medical record review, care strategy, appointment preparation, and helping patients communicate more effectively with their care teams.
I’m particularly interested in cases involving autonomic dysfunction, connective tissue disorders, chronic neurologic illness, and medically complex patients who are struggling to find a coherent path forward in the healthcare system.
I’m glad to be here and look forward to connecting with others doing this work.
Warmly,
Rachel