My name is Stephani Stan, and the roots of this foundation began in the season of my life when everything felt joyous and yet uncertain. After the birth of my second baby in 2022, I started experiencing symptoms that did not feel right. What followed was an overwhelming process that so many people with chronic illness know far too well. There were countless doctor appointments, sitting in waiting rooms, repeating the same symptoms and personal stories again and again, and hoping every time that someone would really hear me.

There were moments when I felt invisible in the medical system, moments where I had to advocate fiercely for myself even when I was exhausted. The process was daunting and isolating, and when I finally received my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, I stepped into a new kind of unknown. A diagnosis brings answers, but it also brings fear, grief, questions about the future and a sense of losing control over the life you thought you were living. There were days I felt broken, burdensome and entirely alone, even while surrounded by people who cared.

But this experience was not mine alone. Through my journey, I began to see more clearly the emotional weight carried by the people who love someone with a chronic illness. They show up to appointments, they listen to our fears, they steady us when everything feels shaky, and yet they often face their own quiet battles. They can feel helpless when they cannot fix what hurts us, isolated when they do not know who to talk to, and overwhelmed as they process their own fear while trying to be strong for us.

I learned that chronic illness is not a solitary experience. It affects the person navigating the symptoms and diagnosis, and it also affects the loved ones who walk beside them every step of the way. Both deserve support. Both deserve understanding. Both deserve community.

I created Stand Up and Yell because no one should move through this journey alone, not the person facing the diagnosis and not the person holding their hand through it. This foundation is a place for every story, including the ones living in the body, the ones loving from the outside and the ones searching for connection in the space between.

Through shared experiences, community events and meaningful support, my hope is that Stand Up and Yell becomes a home for anyone touched by chronic illness, offering understanding, connection and the reminder that none of us are walking this path by ourselves.