Happyr Health

by Nicola Filzmoser in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 27th May 2020 we successfully raised £10,222 with 141 supporters in 42 days

At Happyr Health we are creating playful and engaging solutions to empower children with migraines.

by Nicola Filzmoser in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

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Hi! I’m Nicola, and along with my partner Cornelius, we have made it our mission to give children with migraines the support they need. We believe that now, more than ever, digital empowerment for children in pain is needed. 

With your support, we can empower children to take greater control over their migraines.

German version/Deutsche Version
Spanish version/Versión en español

My story 

Since then I have seen several neurologists and therapists. I tried everything from pain medication to non-pharmacological treatments. My family and I felt helpless and alone, as it seemed nobody was able to help.

Today I can manage my migraines. It took over 15 years, a lot of dedication from my parents and a constant search for answers to reach this point. For a long time, healthcare professionals struggled to point me in the right direction. Not because they are not good at their job, but because expertise and support for paediatric migraines is not very accessible. After extensive research with my partner Cornelius, an experienced paramedic, I was able to take control of my migraines. I want to make this possible for every young person that is suffering from migraines.

The migraine support we are creating at Happyr Health, is just what I needed as a child. This is an opportunity for YOU to make this support possible for children who are struggling like I was.

The problem: migraines in children

Over 100 million children suffer from migraines worldwide. Current treatment consists of medication and a long, painful, trial and error approach. Every child is different and the migraine experience is very individual. So children need a personalised, holistic treatment approach that helps them individually. By giving children personalised tools, we can help to protect them from developing anxiety & depression. We can also help to prevent them from missing school, loss of friends, and emotional distress.

The chronic pain of migraines can severely impact a child's quality of life, causing issues such as bad sleep quality, loss of friends, disturbed family harmony, and depression. The child, their family, and even healthcare professionals can feel helpless.

Our solution: the Happyr Health App

The best way to support young migraineurs is to understand them and the solutions they need and then provide them with a personal toolbox so they will have the power to help themselves.

At Happyr Health, we combine scientific research with the latest technology such as augmented reality and mobile gaming. We are creating a mobile migraine diary for children and their parents. This diary engages them to take part in their pain management in a playful way. Based on the diary we can provide each child with personalised treatment suggestions, packed with mobile games, augmented reality adventures, and exciting challenges. So no matter when or where a child needs it, they will have access to a toolbox of migraine support.

Working with our strong medical team, we are emphasising the need for creative gameplay in our solutions so that learning how to manage migraines can be an enjoyable activity for children and their families.

Although we cannot cure children of their migraines, together with your support, we can make their lives much happier.

While we have a strong medical team to back us, we are emphasizing the need for creative gameplay in our solutions. Learning how to manage migraines should not be a dull and enforced necessity. It should be an enjoyable activity for children and their families.

We cannot cure children of their migraines. Yet, together with you, we have the power to make their lives happier.

This is us

Myself (Nicola) and Cornelius are both studying at the University of Cambridge on the Master's program in Entrepreneurship. As members of the University’s ecosystem and the Accelerate Cambridge Programme, the support of the medical and research community is a vital driver in making Happyr Health a reality. With Cambridge’s support, a strong team of technological & medical experts and most importantly your help, Happyr Health has the chance to enhance the lives of children with migraines worldwide.

Our development team

With over 20 years of experience in the area of game development, Deniz and Erol are at the forefront of technological innovation. They created games and solutions with augmented reality, developed the first stand-alone virtual reality glasses and can translate any crazy idea into action. Deniz and Erol will even make it possible to translate pain management into an exciting activity for children and parents alike.

Our scientific and medical team

It’s not just the four of us working on this project. We are grateful for our amazing medical advisor Dr. Tania Abreu who supports us from the very beginning. Professor Paul Martin, one of the leading experts in psychological therapies for migraine treatment and a valuable advisor to our project. As well as experts from all around the world: Kate Brierton, Maria José Jorques Infante, and Alejandra Sención. We want to thank David Brierley for his expertise in serious game development. Not to forget, nothing would be possible without our great collaborations with the National Migraine Centre in London, the University of Cambridge & Anglia Ruskin University, the Accelerate Cambridge program, Dolorin and an endless list of individuals who supported us with their expertise, time and experience.

What we will do with your donations

The idea for Happyr Health started from my own experience and grew into this great idea to help children worldwide. We now need your donations to achieve this vision. We need you to give each child the power over their migraines. 

We have a great journey in front of us and you can help us to make the first steps possible. With your donations, we can create the first cornerstone of the Happyr Health App. We can develop an engaging migraine diary app to provide personalized digital treatments for young sufferers. A tool we can put in children’s hands, a tool to make them happier. 

Your donations will enable us to get phase one of the Happyr Health App operating and delivered to children who need it in the next five months.  

(Sources: Global Burden of Disease Study 2016, Abu-Arafeh et al. 2010, Zernikow et al. 2012)

Disclaimer 

Working in the current dynamics of our healthcare system is difficult. Although we are putting 100% of our dedication and abilities to make the Happyr Health App work, we cannot guarantee a fixed date for the completion of our project. 

We had to accept delays for projects with our research partners due to the Coronavirus pandemic and cannot attest to when we can continue.

However, we are using this time to fully focus on building the Happyr Health App with the feedback of our collaborators. For any future news concerning our progress, follow us @HappyrHealth. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HappyrHealth/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HappyrHealth
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happyrhealth/
Website: https://happyrhealth.com

FAQs

Am I guaranteed a reward for my donations?

We as the creators of Happyr Health owe you as our backers a high standard of effort, honest communication, and a dedication to bringing the project to life. At the same time, we want you to understand that when you support Happyr Health (or any crowdfunding project), you’re helping to create something new — not ordering something that already exists. There may be changes or delays, and there’s a chance something could happen that prevents us from being able to finish the project as promised.

We are optimistic and believe that we have a good chance to realise the project successfully. However, should an unforeseen event occur that we cannot keep our promises, we will make every reasonable effort to find another way of bringing the project to the best possible conclusion for you as our supporters.




Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£50 or more

3 of 15 claimed

Free access for the National Migraine Centre

With this reward, you can support a child at the National Migraine Centre (NMC). As a valuable partner, we want to support the NMC and give their young patients access to the Happyr Health Beta. Every £50 will unlock a free access account for one of their paediatric patients. The NMC is a registered charity in London, offering specialised advice and consultations for migraine patients. https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.

£10 or more

7 of 20 claimed

Become a Co-Creator

Since the very beginning, we wanted to create Happyr Health in collaboration with experts, parents, and especially children. We understand and hear your feedback! We want to dedicate our time to individual Zoom calls with our supporters where we learn about your ideas and how we can implement them in our app. Become a co-creator, get your call-spot and actively shape solutions for your child with us!

£50 or more

6 of 100 claimed

Free Access to the Happyr Health Beta

We see no point in holding back any support. This is why we want to give you access to our solution as soon as possible. For your pledge, you will get free access to the exclusive beta-version of the Happyr Health App. Be quick to secure our virtual friend for you and your child, helping you deal with migraines more playfully than ever before.

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