In a world that often equates strength with perfection, Lea Jabre stands as proof that true strength is found in honesty, empathy, and the courage to begin again.
A Franco-Lebanese advocate, humanitarian, and writer, Lea is redefining what resilience looks like in the age of invisible illness.
A Global Soul With a Purpose
Born into a multicultural life that spanned France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, and The Gambia, Lea’s worldview was shaped by movement — both physical and emotional. A graduate of the University College of London (UCL) with an MSc in International Public Policy, her early path reflected intellect, curiosity, and service.
Her work across the NGO and journalism sectors exposed her to the power of storytelling and social change. Today, she continues that purpose as Fundraising and Communications Manager for Reddo Care in London, a nonprofit focused on child welfare and advocacy. But it was her own health journey that would transform her mission from professional to deeply personal.
A Diagnosis That Rewrote Her Story
For years, Lea lived with unexplained pain, muscle spasms, and rigidity that defied medical answers. In May 2021, after nearly six years of uncertainty, she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) — a neurological autoimmune disorder so rare that it affects fewer than one in a million people.
The diagnosis was both an ending and a beginning. The life she once knew — filled with travel, deadlines, and endless motion — slowed dramatically. But from that stillness, something extraordinary emerged: Bent Not Broken.
Bent Not Broken: Where Courage Meets Community
What started as a personal Instagram page became a digital sanctuary for connection, education, and shared healing. Through @bentnotbrokenautoimmune on Instagram and her YouTube platform, Heart2Heart, Lea began documenting her journey with raw honesty.
The goal was never fame — it was belonging. “I never set out to become anything,” she says. “I just followed my intuition, and it became what it is today.”
Now, Bent Not Broken is entering a powerful new chapter: opening its platform for patients and caregivers worldwideto share their stories and videos. The initiative will touch on every aspect of living with rare diseases — from physical struggles to emotional resilience — transforming Bent Not Broken into a global resource hub and storytelling movement.
Turning Advocacy Into Action
Beyond awareness, Lea’s impact extends to real-world change. She is currently fundraising for the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital, led by her neurologist Dr. Scott Newsome. Her mission is clear: to accelerate research, amplify understanding, and ensure that no patient faces this journey alone.
She also co-founded Boukra Nour NGO in Lebanon — meaning “Tomorrow’s Light” — which promotes inclusion, empathy, and empowerment among youth. Through her nonprofit leadership, digital storytelling, and advocacy work, Lea is bridging worlds: health and humanity, struggle and purpose.
🔗 Support the fundraiser here: Johns Hopkins SPS Research Center Fundraiser
Reimagining What It Means to Be Strong
Lea’s authenticity has resonated globally because she doesn’t present resilience as perfection — she presents it as presence. Even in pain, she continues to write, work, and advocate for others.
Her message is simple yet profound:
“We all become bent. But being bent doesn’t mean we’re broken — it means we’re still here, adapting, and learning how to bend with grace.”
Her global community of patients, caregivers, and followers continues to grow daily, drawn to her sincerity, intellect, and poetic strength. Whether she’s posting from her home in Lebanon or collaborating virtually from London, Lea reminds the world that even in limitation, there is light — and that compassion, when shared, becomes movement.
A New Era of Visibility and Voice
As Bent Not Broken evolves into a collaborative storytelling platform, Lea envisions a future where patients are seen as educators, not exceptions. Her advocacy bridges science and soul, policy and poetry.
For Lea Jabre, resilience isn’t the absence of pain — it’s the decision to keep loving, creating, and believing in the midst of it. And in doing so, she’s giving voice to thousands who finally feel seen.
🌍 Follow & Support the Movement
📸 Instagram: @bentnotbrokenautoimmune
🎥 YouTube: @stiffpersonsyndromeHeart2heart
💡 Fundraising for: The Stiff Person Syndrome Research Center – Johns Hopkins Hospital
