This national patient and advocacy organisation for thyroid and parathyroid diseases was founded in November 1999 and continues the work of Kilpirauhaspotilasyhdistys ry, founded in 1996. It has 14 regional associations and about 10,000 members, and is funded by STEA grants, membership fees and fundraising.
Peer support is given through a support phone staffed by trained volunteers with personal experience of illness, and volunteers share their stories of living with thyroid disease. First-information guides on starting treatment are available in Finnish, English and Swedish, also in Braille. A free lifestyle programme, Hyvinvointi ylös – paino alas!, is aimed mainly at working-age people with hypothyroidism, and members receive the Kilpi magazine four times a year.
Have you received help or support from the organisation? Share your experience in the comments for other patients.
