Today we’d like to introduce you to Tricia Dennis.
Hi tricia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story really began 26 years ago when I became the mother of a son with significant special needs. I didn’t know it at the time, but becoming his caregiver would ultimately shape nearly every direction my life would take.
Raising a child with complex needs meant learning to navigate healthcare systems, disability services, insurance, government programs, hospitals and countless situations where I had to advocate for someone who couldn’t always advocate for himself. Over the years, I learned that sometimes simply accepting “no” isn’t an option. You have to ask questions, understand the system and be willing to keep going when you know something isn’t right.
Those experiences eventually led me toward healthcare professionally. I went back to school and earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and became a registered nurse. Nursing gave me another perspective on healthcare—not only as the mother and caregiver sitting on one side of the bed, but also as a healthcare professional standing on the other.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that the two perspectives belonged together.
I’ve also written two books, and writing has always been another way for me to communicate experiences that might help someone else. But today, I’m beginning what I believe may be the most important chapter of my professional life.
I’m currently studying to become a paralegal while developing a path in healthcare advocacy. My goal is to use my experience as a mother, caregiver and registered nurse, together with my legal education, to help people better understand and navigate complicated healthcare and disability systems.
I’m particularly passionate about families caring for people with disabilities because I know firsthand how overwhelming those systems can become. I’m also interested in advocating for healthcare professionals who experience burnout, difficult workplace situations or simply don’t know where to turn when they need someone in their corner.
I’ve spent much of my life advocating because I had to. Now I want to take everything those years taught me and use it intentionally to advocate for other people.
I’m still building the next chapter, and I don’t know exactly where it will lead. But I know what I want the purpose behind it to be: helping people find their voice when they feel like nobody is listening.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think some of the hardest parts of my life are also what taught me how to advocate.
Being a special-needs parent is never easy. When my son Noah was born, my life changed completely. Over the years there have been countless medical challenges, hospital stays, difficult decisions and times when I had to learn how to fight for what he needed. There really isn’t a handbook for becoming the parent of a medically complex child. You learn as you go, and sometimes you learn because you simply don’t have another choice.
But I also learned that difficult circumstances can be turned into something that helps other people. I started a nonprofit for Noah and ran it for approximately ten years, working to raise awareness and help other families along the way. One of the things I’m most proud of from that period was helping establish a national day of awareness. What started with my own child became something much larger than us, and it was probably one of my earliest lessons in how powerful advocacy can be.
Then, at 45 years old, I made the decision to go back to college. That wasn’t easy either. I wasn’t a traditional student whose only responsibility was school. I was still Noah’s caregiver while trying to build an entirely new professional future for myself. There were plenty of moments when quitting would have been easier, but eventually I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and became a registered nurse.
I think that’s probably the common thread throughout my life. When I’ve encountered something difficult, I’ve tried to figure out what I can learn from it and then how I can use what I’ve learned to make the road a little easier for the person coming behind me.
Noah has been at the center of so much of that. Raising him didn’t prevent me from having a purpose outside of being his mom. In many ways, being his mom is what helped me discover that purpose.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Advocacy Alliance Group?
Advocacy Alliance Group is a healthcare and disability advocacy organization built from my experience as both a caregiver and registered nurse. What sets me apart professionally is that I came into healthcare with decades of experience on the other side of it.
What sets me apart professionally is that I came into healthcare with decades of experience on the other side of it.
Before I ever became a registered nurse, I spent years navigating healthcare as the mother and primary caregiver of a medically complex child. I learned healthcare from the perspective of the person sitting beside the hospital bed—the person asking questions, coordinating care, researching options, and sometimes having to challenge decisions when I believed something wasn’t right.
Becoming an RN gave me the opportunity to understand that same system from the clinical side. Now, studying to become a paralegal is adding another layer to that knowledge. Ultimately, I want to bring those three perspectives together: caregiver, healthcare professional, and advocate.
I’m especially interested in helping families of people with disabilities navigate healthcare and understand how to advocate effectively for themselves. I’m also passionate about healthcare professionals. Nurses and other providers spend their careers taking care of everyone else, but when they experience burnout, workplace problems, or situations where they need advocacy themselves, they don’t always know where to turn.
What I’m most proud of isn’t one particular credential or accomplishment. It’s that I’ve been able to take experiences that were incredibly difficult and turn them into something useful. I’ve learned how to ask questions, research, document, communicate, and keep going when the first answer is “no.”
I don’t believe effective advocacy is about being the loudest person in the room. It’s about understanding the system well enough to know the right questions to ask, the right doors to knock on, and when not to accept the first answer you’re given.
That’s the kind of advocate I want to be.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think healthcare is going to change dramatically over the next five to ten years. Technology and artificial intelligence will continue to change how care is delivered, but I believe the human side of healthcare is going to become even more important.
Patients and families are already being asked to navigate incredibly complicated systems involving insurance, government programs, hospital policies, disability services, and their legal rights. As those systems become more complex, I believe there will be a growing need for independent advocates who can help people understand their options and make sure their voices are heard.
I also think we have to pay much more attention to the people providing the care. Burnout among nurses and other healthcare professionals cannot simply be accepted as part of the profession. We need healthcare environments where professionals can advocate for their patients and themselves without feeling powerless within the system.
My hope is that the future of healthcare becomes more transparent, more accountable, and more patient-centered. Technology can give us incredible tools, but it can’t replace compassion, critical thinking, or having another human being willing to stand beside you when you’re navigating one of the most difficult moments of your life.
That’s where I see advocacy becoming increasingly important.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Advocacyalliancegroup.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1KPUa9yjyL/
