Mims Davies MP outside Downing Street with I Am 17 Campaign group raising awareness of Rare Diseases

Their aim is to help the voices of those with a rare disease be heard, together with rare disease patient groups from across the UK. Their goal is to increase the understanding of what it is like to live with a rare disease and show that rare isn’t always that rare.

The campaign is initiated and funded by Takeda, created together with the Changemakers, and 13 rare disease patient organisations.

Helping spread the word are #IAmNumber17 changemakers, each with their unique experience to share, which can be found here:

https://iamnumber17.org.uk/#change-makers

They were outside Downing Street with Mims Davies MP calling on the government, along with the devolved administration, to re-commit to a national framework for rare diseases beyond 2026.

If you're interested in finding out more, the free 'Rare Disease 101' course was developed by Medics 4 Rare Diseases and can be found here:

https://learn.m4rd.org/

Mims Davies MP said:

It was a pleasure to be outside Downing Street and join the incredible people and changemakers of the I Am Number 17 Campaign. Whist rare diseases are individually rare, they're collectively common and affect more of us than we realise, whether it be a family member, friend, colleague, or neighbour. Research suggests 1 in 17 of us in the UK will be affected by a rare disease at some point in our lives. #IAmNumber17