Finalist
Shine a Light on XLH
Summary of work
X-linked Hypophosphataemia (XLH) is a rare disease occurring when levels of the mineral phosphorus are low in the blood. Most doctors have never heard of XLH, which can lead to misdiagnoses. Despite XLH being a lifelong condition, it can be misconceived as a childhood disease, making it difficult for adults living with the condition to find specialists who can provide the right care.
To give one example from the patients we worked with, Emily McKechnie, was misdiagnosed with dwarfism when she was five. It took another 11 years for doctors to discover she was actually suffering from XLH and realise the strong drugs and painful surgeries she’d been forced to undergo for more than a decade were based on a mistake.
With such a state of treatment and care at present, increasing awareness of XLH is crucial to improve diagnosis, care and quality of life. The Shine a Light on XLH campaign was created to achieve exactly that.
Judges’ comments
The Shina Light on XLH campaign objectives were very big and bold. The presentation of the exhibition was innovative and it was single-minded on the phosphorus insight. It was a well-executed, beautiful and strategically-savvy campaign.
