Being an advocate

I attended a meeting recently and was introduced to the mostly research and health professional crowd as a parent advocate. I was quite surprised to hear myself introduced that way. I would have likely used the words "unusually outspoken and opinionated" instead, but advocate sound so much better.

I don't actually think of myself as an advocate, but if I am what does that mean. Perhaps my willingness to share our journey and be honest about my life and feelings makes me an advocate?

I am quite willing to take on that role but what does that role look like for me?

The best definition I could come up with is the idea of "what's next?"

I am driven to find out what's next for my child, what is next for other children with her condition, and what is next for the families that support these children. For me treating their condition is just the first step. After that is the question, What is next?

So here I go, asking "What is next?"