A friend who I had not heard from since last year recently sent me an invitation to CarePages,  an “online community of millions of people coming together to share the challenges, hopes and triumphs of anyone facing a life-changing health event.”

The About Page states:
“Through personalized websites, members can relate their stories, post photos and update friends and family instantly. In turn, people who care can send messages of love and encouragement. The CarePages website also provides unique resources (discussion forums, blogs, articles and more) to educate and guide members through their health journey, as well as give loved ones the tools to offer hope and emotional support when they’re needed most.

CarePages was founded by Eric and Sharon Langshur in 2000. When their son, Matthew, was born with a heart defect in 1998 and needed surgery, Eric and Sharon struggled to find a way to keep in touch with family and friends about Matthew’s condition. Sharon’s brother set up the first CarePages patient website to help. Today, Matthew is a healthy, happy kid, and CarePages has grown to reach millions of families across the globe.”

When I went to my friend’s website, I discovered that her six-month old baby is undergoing surgery today. My friend had posted photos of her baby and older son, as well as information about the condition that the surgery is intended to treat. She had over 60 comments on the page, from friends and family.

This is a fascinating service. CarePages touches on all three phases of the A Bigger Voice  Model:

Phase 1: Crystallize

• This phase includes Story.  We hear about a husband and wife dealing with a child’s heart defect and the desire to communicate with their support network, easily and quickly. Story explains how CarePages came into existence and points to the wisdom that started the effort (e.g, we can help each other in times of need by offering love and encouragement, virtually.) Story provides authenticity and credibility.
• Crystallize includes Stunning Result–the outcome of a vibrant community, the answer to the question of “Why bother putting the work into having a bigger voice?” CarePage answers this question with their mission, “to ensure that no one goes through a health challenge alone.” This is an excellent example of a Stunning Result that is compelling, easy to understand, and attractive to a large group of kindred spirits. How many of us have seen a loved one struggle with a serious health condition or had one ourselves?
• In my friend’s case, she showed pictures of her baby, and talked about her health condition and the impending surgery to crystallize the message for her “instant community.”

Phase 2: Build Community

• CarePages has used Technology extensively to build their own community by using blogs and discussion forums. Blogs are further divided into mini-communities. For example, there are specific blogs on losing a child, managing cancer, and being a
  caregiver. CarePages also uses technology to help their customers build instant communities with free websites and email announcements for patient websites.
• In building instant communities for customers, CarePages continues to grow their community–people who will tell their friends about the service or become a reader of the blogs or a participant in one of the discussion forums. In reading many of the messages left on my friend’s site, I experienced what it’s like to be part of an instant community–people I don’t know who express hope, encouragement, and love for the baby of a friend. It leaves an impression with me. I will come back tomorrow to see how the surgery went. And the next week to follow her recovery. This is Networking and Marketing to build community, at its best.
• In addition to growing the community through their own customers’ communities, CarePages has over 150 affiliate partners, other groups and organizations that can see the benefit of CarePages for their members. This is another form of  Networking.

Phase 3: Sustain

• Monetizing is part of sustaining. When I talk to people about A Bigger Voice, this is the part that often eludes them. CarePages illustrates one way of monetizing–by helping community members express support for a cause, whether it’s with a small token from  a modern-day version of the hospital gift shop or with clothing, mugs, bumper stickers, note cards, even stamps to show support for the concept of CarePages. CarePages also uses advertising as a way of monetizing, where large companies like Bank of America have signed up.

One last point. The results speak for themselves. In 8 years, CarePages has grown from a single family’s experience in using a website to keep in contact while their toddler was treated for a heart defect, to an online of community of millions of strangers, connected quickly and deeply through shared emotion and experiences.

If it can happen for this family, it can happen for you. You can have a bigger voice, where your remarkable wisdom is the seed for stunning results and sustainability. What seemed almost impossible a decade ago is now possible. Really.