The Hypopara Butterfly
Just like a butterfly undergoes a transformation in its life, people living with hypopara can transform the way they own their journey – and how they manage their condition.
The Hypopara Butterfly
Just like a butterfly undergoes a transformation in its life, people living with hypoparathyroidism can transform the way they own their journey – and how they manage their condition.
#HypoparaButterfly – a journey of change, hope and resilience
Hypopara is sometimes visually represented as a butterfly which has become a recognized symbol of thyroid awareness as it is universally understood to signify change, hope, and living with a challenging condition.
Just as a butterfly undergoes a profound transformation in its lifecycle, people living with hypopara experience their own journey, learning to recognize the symptoms and highs and lows of living with the condition.
The #HypoparaButterfly is an artistic butterfly mural that brings this journey to life. The words, statements and images on the mural have been shared by lived experiences submitted by the hypopara community.
The large 2m x 2m #HypoparaButterfly mural was showcased at the Joint ESPE (European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology) and ESE (European Society of Endocrinology) 2025 Congress, helping to foster awareness and support for the hypopara community.
Download an image of the muralCreating the #HypoparaButterfly with Lynn Norris
Watch the video and discover how Lynn Norris, an artist who lives with hypoparathyroidism, created the #HypoparaButterfly mural to reflect shared experiences and voices of the hypoparathyroidism community
00:00 – 00:05
[On-screen heading: Bringing the Hypopara butterfly to life ]
[Logos: Parathyroid UK, Society for Endocrinology, Acendis Pharma]
00:06 – 00:14
[On-screen heading: Lynn Norris is a mural artist living with hypoparathyroidism. She created this mural inspired by real life experiences and insights from herself and others living with hypoparathyroidism. ]
00:14 – 00:25
Lynn: I’ve got the four panels, and each of them in the behind texture is a representation of the sensations that I feel.
00:25 – 00:34
The popping, the pins and needles, the cramps it really just shows what we as (those with) hypoparathyroidism experience everyday.
00:34 – 00:39
I’ve subtly incorporated parts of the body that are impacted.
00:39 – 00:48
So we’ve got the brain, we’ve got a surgical cut for the thyroid, we’ve got the heart, stomach, kidneys, a pain symbol.
00:50 – 00:55
I tend to feel as my family are far away, I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them.
00:55 – 00:58
I’ve always got to consider my symptoms first.
01:00 – 01:02
This bit’s about the mental symptoms.
01:02 – 01:06
The bit about having to try and balance yourself all of the time.
01:07 – 01:13
Here there’s lots and lots of different figures, and this is to say that each of us are unique and we have unique symptoms.
01:13 – 01:19
Then, as we come over to this side of hope, these symptoms disperse into calm.
01:19 – 01:30
So I’ve got butterflies flying away in here, and I’ve got a free person, a tree growing up, someone exercising, something to represent social life and work life.
01:31 – 01:38
Here I’ve got a figure, handing out leaflet with the light bulb to say, yes, it’s all positive .
01:48 – 01:50
[On-screen heading: Lynn Norris: Mural artist living with hypoparathyroidism ]
01:59 – 02:06
[On-screen heading: To find out more, visit: www.seeds-of-change.com]
[Logos: Parathyroid UK, Society for Endocrinology, Acendis Pharma]
[On-screen heading: Seeds of Change is a disease awareness initiative developed and funded by Ascendis Pharma. The words, statements and images on the Hypopara Butterfly have been shaped by lived experiences submitted by te hypopara community.]
[Reference: GL-COMMPTH-2500030 | May 2025]
Bringing our stories of resilience to life
Hypoparathyroidism is often visually represented as a butterfly, signifying change, hope and living with a challenging condition.
The #HypoparaButterfly brings the journey of hypoparathyroidism to life, resembling the transformation that occurs with the diagnosis.
Artist Lynn Norris created a mural of the butterfly, which was showcased at the Joint ESPE (European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology) and ESE (European Society of Endocrinology) 2025 Congress. The large painting helped to foster awareness and support for the hypopara community.
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Watch the #HypoparaButterfly come to life
Discover below how artist Lynn Norris, who lives with hypopara herself, was inspired by the experiences of the hypopara community to create the Seeds of Change #HypoparaButterfly mural.
GL-COMMPTH-2600048 | June 2026
