Laura is an ambassador for Project Factor J, promoted with Janssen. She is currently in her fourth year at IIS San Benedetto in Cassino (Frosinone). She likes to study Italian, Mathematics and Psychology. In her free time, she likes to dance. After graduating, she would like to study to become a social assistant.
“Young people are the voice of an evolving society. Being a Factor J Ambassador means acting as a spokesperson for correct scientific information,” explains Laura. “I like the opportunity to share opinions with other students from around Italy. Above all, participating in Factor J allowed me to feel like an adult, not just a kid. The experts working on the project listened to our ideas and observations. They trust us. Together with other students from around Italy, we worked on the Health Manifesto to transmit the idea of trust in science also to those who were not able to participate directly in the Factor J sessions.”
So, what is the Health Manifesto? What issues did the adolescents address? We asked Laura to let us know something about it ... “We spoke a lot about how medical-scientific progress has revolutionized our social life. Let’s just look at one example: the Covid-19 vaccine. It gave us hope, a hope of normality. And allowed us to return to life as it was before the pandemic.”
Laura is grateful for the Factor J experience because it allowed her to learn about an “unknown reality, one that is often overlooked, that of illness. Together with the patient associations participating in the project, we learned to always think of individuals, rather than patients. I believe that this is important to contrast the stereotypes that are often associated with disease. Thanks to the Factor J sessions, I was able to experience first-hand what scientific progress means to those suffering from serious diseases: a hope in the future.”
