Share your story

By telling your story, you can help to raise awareness of osteoporosis and our work.

Whether you're living with osteoporosis yourself, know someone affected by the condition, or are fundraising for us, we'd love to hear your story.

Your real-life perspectives and experiences bring osteoporosis to life and help us engage with people who don't know about the condition or the charity.

Raising awareness in this way can change attitudes and helps people to discover the support we can offer them. Your story may also inspire others to fundraise and volunteer for the charity. By sharing your story, you can help to make a big difference to the lives of people affected by osteoporosis.

How is your story used?

We tell the stories of people affected by osteoporosis in many different ways. With your permission, your story could appear in:

• our newsletters
• fundraising appeals or awareness campaigns
• a newspaper or magazine
• a radio or TV interview
• our policy documents
• and on our website or social media channels

After you've told us a bit about your experiences, we may contact you from time to time to ask if you're happy for us to share your story. We never use any part of your story or pass on any of your information without asking you first.

And if you'd rather remain anonymous or aren't comfortable on camera, that's OK - you can still help.

Can you help?

If you'd like to find out more about how we can work together to raise awareness of osteoporosis, all you need to do is email mystory@theros.org.uk telling us a bit about yourself and including your contact details.

A member of our team will then be in touch with more information.

The contact details you give us are only used to contact you about your story. Learn more about how we use your personal information.

In summer 2021 I was on a camping trip with some friends when I tripped over a tent rope onto the grass. This was a relatively minor fall so I was pretty shocked to find out when I went to the hospital that I hadn't only broken my hip, but shattered my pelvis as well. I quickly had surgery for this and returned home with support from a carer. After conducting my own researching and prompting the doctor for a DXA scan, I later found out I had osteoporosis.

I couldn't believe it when I found out that one in two post menopausal women have osteoporosis and thought 'why does nobody know about this?'. I felt frustrated that I could have been making sure that I have enough calcium and vitamin D for my bones but had no idea about this. That was really the trigger for me. I wanted to do something about it, which inspired me to share my story.

It’s extraordinary to me that people my age, however fit or unfit they are, whatever their lifestyle could be suffering with this without even knowing and I want to share my story in the hope of raising awareness with as many people as possible.

   - Hilary

FAQS

What happens after I’ve volunteered to share my story?

We will make contact with you, initially by email unless you’ve indicated a preference to be contacted via telephone, to arrange a suitable date and time to call you. The call is an informal chat where we ask some key questions to help us find out more about your story.

Please don’t worry about overpreparing for this – we are more than happy to speak to you again if you feel that you’ve missed any details or you can share some additional comments with us afterwards if you’d prefer.

Once your story has been written up, we will send it back to you over email so you can read through and check you feel it’s an accurate representation of your words. Finally, once you’re happy with the write up, we will ask for a high quality photograph from you to be kept on file with your story, and send over a consent form for you to sign.

Once I’ve shared my story, could it be used without my knowledge?

No, we will always contact you to ask your permission to share your story. You will have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about how your story is going to be used, and make an informed decision as to whether you’d like to proceed.

What should I do if I change my mind and no longer want my story to be used?

You can withdraw your consent for us to use your story at any time. Please contact mystory@theros.org.uk to let us know and we will remove it immediately.

What support will I have from the team?

Our Media team are on hand to support you, and are available to discuss the media opportunity and any queries you may have. If you are taking part in an interview, you will receive a brief prior to the interview date containing all the relevant information you need, our contact details, and key information about the ROS.

Any other questions? Please contact our Media team on 01761 473 201 or email mystory@theros.org.uk