It’s one thing to receive a neuromyelitis optica (NMO) diagnosis, and another to own it — to feel you can self-advocate and boost awareness with authority and honesty in social, work, and clinical spaces. To mark NMO Awareness Month, we partnered with patient advocate Jennifer V. and other writers to create a series of articles that offer practical, supportive, and inspiring advice for how you can grow into empowerment to do exactly that.