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More About Us
More Than a Diagnosis is a community for people affected by cancer and chronic illness. We’re here for the stuff that comes after a diagnosis, because no one should have to navigate it alone.
HOW THIS ALL STARTED
More Than a Diagnosis didn't start with a business plan, a board of directors, or even the idea that we were building a nonprofit. It started with people finding each other.
Jes started sharing her cancer story on TikTok back in early 2023, and pretty quickly, something bigger started happening. People weren't just watching. They were sharing their own stories, asking questions, laughing through the hard times, and venting about things you only understand if you've been there. And somewhere along the way, Jes knew this was going to become something more. She just didn't know what yet.
Den and Jes had been friends since they were five, but life took them in different directions after high school. Years later, they reconnected after Jes's cancer diagnosis, and when Jes started sharing her story on TikTok, Den was right there helping with the TikTok lives and watching the community grow.
Eventually, Den was inspired to start sharing her own story and rare diagnosis too. From there, things kept growing. There was the merch shop, the website, and eventually the podcast. What started as Jes sharing her story had become something the two of them were building together, even before they knew exactly what it would become.
Nerisa and Jes connected through TikTok after realizing how much of their lives and experiences they had in common, including the same cancer diagnosis and a very similar sense of humor. Karen came into the picture through TikTok as well, and she and Jes quickly found their own connection through shared life experiences and stories.
Different stories, different paths, but somehow the four of us just clicked.
Nerisa had already started Happy Mail, sending little packages to people going through cancer. Then one of Jes' videos about it got some attention and Happy Mail really took off. That's a story for another day. (Sorry, Nerisa. Jes will never live that down!)
It was also a lot for one person, so Jes, Den, and Karen jumped in to help. Jes helped with the order form and logistics, and somewhere in all of that, the four of them started becoming a team before they'd even officially decided that's what they were doing.
Then Jes and Den started a podcast, and Jes built a website. But they both knew the podcast was never really the end goal. Because the bigger idea had been there from the beginning. Create a place for people affected by cancer and chronic illness to find connection, support, stories, and people who understood what this actually feels like.
The podcast was a part of it.
Happy Mail was a part of it.
The community was a part of it.
We had in-person meetups. We hosted weekly virtual support groups. More people found us, and more people found each other.
Eventually, it became pretty clear that this thing we'd been building had grown into something bigger. It was time to make it official.
So we became a nonprofit!
That part was exciting. It was also...a lot less exciting than we expected.
For a while, everything felt like it came to a screeching halt. There was paperwork, approvals, a bank account to open, bookkeeping to figure out, and programs to pause while we got everything organized. Happy Mail also took a break while we officially folded it into the nonprofit.
The community had been growing for years, and suddenly we were learning how to actually run the thing we'd been building. And honestly? We're still figuring it out.
More Than a Diagnosis is still in its infancy in a lot of ways, even though the idea has been growing since 2023.
We're building this while still living with chronic illness ourselves. We're not standing on the other side of any of this with all the answers.
We're right here in it, too. And maybe that's the point.
We're building the kind of community we needed, and still need. A place for the stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a diagnosis, treatment plan, or inspirational story. Because no one should ever have to do this alone.
And we're just getting started!
The People Behind More Than A Diagnosis
Den
Treasurer & Co-Founder
Den is a nurse, patient advocate, and cofounder of More Than a Diagnosis, living with chronic illness after her own diagnosis of FAP
and a desmoid tumors. Having experienced healthcare from both the caregiver and patient sides, she brings a perspective that keeps connection, empathy, and the practical stuff firmly in the mix.
Jes
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Jes is a two-time cancer survivor, storyteller, people connector, and cofounder of More Than a Diagnosis. After sharing her story on TikTok and seeing what happened when people started finding each other, she started dreaming of building the kind of community she needed when she was first diagnosed.
nerisa
Director of Happy Mail
Nerisa is a triple-negative breast cancer survivor and an original member of the MTAD team. In 2023, after receiving a small gift in the mail from a friend she made on TikTok during treatment, she started Happy Mail as a way to pay that kindness forward. It grew into one of MTAD's first community programs, with plenty of ducks along the way.
Karen
Director of Outreach
Karen is an original member of the MTAD team and has been living with metastatic breast cancer since 2023. She brings her lived experience as someone living with metastatic breast cancer to our work, helping us make space for the realities of living with cancer long-term, not just getting through treatment.