Michael A. Weiss is a Patient Advocate, Health Care Commentator, Author, Motivational Speaker and Video Journalist who focuses on matters pertaining to coping with chronic illness, exclusively from “The Patient Perspective.”
Michael was diagnosed with the auto-immune and incurable Illness “Crohn’s Disease” in 1984. In July, 2001, after more than 100 Hospitalizations & well on his way to 20 + surgeries, Weiss wrote the Book, “Confessions of a Professional Hospital Patient,” determined to both CHANGE the unpleasant stigma associated with diseases like Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease and to HELP people with ALL chronic illnesses learn how to Cope, Live & Laugh. Now, after more than 200 Hospitalizations, Michael utilizes the technology-driven grass roots movement of “Health Care Social Media” to show Patients how to share information and experiences so that those with chronic illness from all over the world can learn from one another without having to undergo unnecessary healthcare experiences or inefficient real life interactions with dedicated Medical Professionals.
Weiss’ refreshingly candid accounts of his own medical trials & tribulations help others not feel so alone in their once thought of private battles with pain, family, friends, medical bills, emotional issues and the constant financial pressures caused by chronic illness. It is Weiss’ hope that he and his similarly-minded Patient brethren can make “Health Care Social Media” an incredibly powerful Patient Tool and true “Game-Changer” thus giving Patients a genuine Voice in all future HealthCare Reform discussions.
Michael A. Weiss, who was born January 10, 1963 in Queens, New York, is an Influential Voice in “Health Care Social Media” and serves as a Patient Advocate, Video Blogger, Podcaster, Health Care Commentator and is also an Author, Attorney and MBA. After graduating from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1984 with a BA Degree in Economics, Weiss was diagnosed with the incurable and auto-immune chronic illness, “Crohn’s Disease,” which primarily affects the Digestive Tract. Weiss went on to obtain his MBA Degree from Hofstra University (New York) in 1986 and his Law Degree from New England School of Law in 1992 (Boston). He practiced Transactional Entertainment Law for approximately 15 years while the 1984 Diagnosis of “Crohn’s Disease” slowly made him “re-write the Script to his Life.”
His Book -
“Confessions of a Professional Hospital Patient”
[originally titled: “One More Rectal Exam & I’m Outta This Hospital!”]
In July, 2001, after close to 150 Hospitalizations and several more Surgeries for “Crohn’s Disease,” Weiss set out to write a Book that would BOTH CHANGE the unpleasant Stigma for Diseases like Crohn’s, Colitis and IBD AND help people with ALL Chronic Illnesses learn how to Live, Laugh and Love with Chronic Illness. The Book was immediately well-received, and surprisingly so by a diverse audience of Patients, Medical Professionals, Medical Schools, Families of Patients and even Hospitals as potential Gift items for their Gift Shop. Demonstrative Reader Comments included [source: Amazon.com]:
“Luckily for Michael & the Reader, he’s a terrific storyteller. He manages to write about the life of a Crohn’s Patient with stories that make you laugh out loud one moment and then tear up with emotion the next.”
“I originally bought the Book for my son, who also has Crohn’s, but decided to read it for myself first and was so glad I did. Michael’s humor and forbearance have clearly helped him survive through ordeals that would have brought many others to their knees. He offers great insight into the trials of life with chronic illness, and yet as a frequent hospital patient, does so in a way that never seems self pitying. I wasn’t sure if the tears in my eyes were from recalling my son’s struggles or from laughter; sometimes it was both.”
“Who would expect a Book on being a Hospital Patient to be laugh-out-loud funny? This Book certainly is.”
This quick commercial success lead to a July, 2001, appearance on NBC’s “Weekend Today Show” and that appearance widened the Book’s appeal even further. Additionally, Weiss’ “Story of Resiliency” was also the “Story Focus” for several National CNBC and MSNBC Segments.” Weiss also did numerous Local and Regional Cable TV Shows such as a 30-Minute LIVE Interview with News Anchor Icon Lee Leonard on “Jersey’s Talking” as well as a 30-Minute Taped Interview with Regional Celebrity and Emmy-Award-Winning Host Steve Adubato who at the time featured “up and coming” Writers for his “One-On-One” Show which aired on several Cable Networks up and down the East Coast. Weiss complimented all of these TV appearances with a “Morning Drive Time” Radio Tour slowly creeping across the Country every 15 minutes – on Monday, September 10, 2001.
The Radio “Morning Drive Time” Tour was poised to lead to some very coveted One-Hour “Couch” TV Shows but the Tragic Events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, understandably changed the World and Weiss had to move on knowing that he came CLOSE to achieving his goals – but not close enough.
President Barak Obama and Health Care Reform
After immersing himself in New Media as an Attorney and Business Affairs Executive, Weiss began to notice that in and around 2009 when Health Care Reform was first proposed, “Confessions of a Professional Hospital Patient” was somehow selling better than ever. Weiss hadn’t been paying much attention because his Crohn’s Disease had gotten so bad over the years that between the 16 Surgeries and 200 Hospitalizations (as of 2011), he was focused on merely surviving. But that all changed with the advent and popularity of Podcasting and Weiss’ ability to reach others like him through Social Platforms like Twitter. This presented the opportunity Weiss has always been looking for, namely, instantaneously sharing of Information and Experiences so that Patients with Chronic Illness can learn from one another without having to go thru unnecessary “bad” experiences. It is Weiss’ hope that through his “Professional Patient Podcast,” Twitter Postings and www.HospitalPatient.com Branding, he and his similarly-minded Colleagues can make “Health Care Social Media” an incredible powerful Patient Tool and HealthCare “Game-Changer.”
Finding Michael A. Weiss:
“The Professional Patient Podcast”
YouTube.com/ProPatientTV
YouTube.com/HealthCareReality
HospitalPatient.com
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