Close-up of a smiling woman with glasses, dark curly hair, wearing a floral green top and pink earrings, against a blue background.
Close-up of a smiling woman with glasses, dark curly hair, wearing a floral green top and pink earrings, against a blue background.

I combine creativity with patient advocacy.

Hello, I’m Tania!

Sarcastic, passionate, creative and a head full of ideas. I write to clear my mind, draw to process what I feel, and craft to make life a little less messy.

Living with Multiple Sclerosis has reshaped how I see life, healthcare, and the world around me. As a young Latin American woman with a chronic condition and invisible disability in Austria, I've learned that who we are is never just one thing, it's all the layers together.

Read my thoughts

Crafts and Illustrations

My illustrations bring together my lived experience with a chronic condition, and all my layers of identity, shaped by the way I see and move through the world.

Two-part illustration on a pink quatrefoil background: potted plants with the text “Cafecito y el chismesito.” above two women chatting over mugs on a cushioned bench. Illustration by Tania Pilz.
Illustration on a lavender background of a woman with purple space buns and a raised fist, seated in a floral-decorated wheelchair. She wears a pink cardigan, cream top, yellow floral skirt, and white sneakers. Illustration by Tania Pilz.
Illustration of a smiling woman with a large curly afro, pink floral top, green wrap skirt, and magenta boots, standing on gray pavement against a peach background with colorful abstract shapes. Illustration by Tania Pilz.
Illustration on a pink background of a Black woman with a curly bun and green headscarf flexing confidently. Below her, “yes girl, YES!” appears with sparkle icons. Illustration by Tania Pilz.
Illustration on a pink background of a Black woman with a curly bun and green headscarf flexing confidently. Below her, “yes girl, YES!” appears with sparkle icons. Illustration by Tania Pilz.
Illustration on a cream background of a woman dancing in a magenta folk-style skirt with “todo es político” in white lettering and colorful accents. She wears a white ruffled blouse and a white flower in her hair. Illustration by Tania Pilz.

Army of Ants

Army of Ants is my creative take on living with Multiple Sclerosis, built on the belief that small voices can create powerful change. Through a patient’s perspective, it transforms the realities of Multiple Sclerosis — invisible challenges, daily victories, and moments of adaptation — into stories of resilience, awareness, and connection. 

Illustration of a woman with long, wavy dark hair, round rose-tinted glasses, teal drop earrings, and a mustard-yellow ribbed sweater. She has a warm, content smile and stands with her arms crossed. Self portrait by Tania Pilz.
Follow the ants

Patient advocacy

I advocate for greater representation, inclusion, and equity in the Multiple Sclerosis, chronic condition, and disability communities. I collaborate alongside organisations and people with lived experience to make that happen.

Identity has many layers, and so does the patient experience. That's why my work is rooted in intersectionality.

My goal isn't just to represent the patient perspective. It's to help build environments where people with chronic condition and disabilities are equal partners in research, healthcare, and decision-making.

At a conference, two women sit on a stage engaging in a discussion with microphones in hand, while an audience member takes notes. A large screen behind them displays information about a Multiple Sclerosis conference scheduled for April 19-20, 2024, in Brussels, with various logos and branding elements.

Collaborations and Advocacy Work

Episode: Interview with Tania Pilz

Podcast MS Perspektive with Nele von Horsten

Tania Pilz shares her experience living with Multiple Sclerosis, her path to diagnosis, and how she turned her journey into advocacy. She discusses building a supportive MS community, promoting inclusion, using art to express herself and empowering others through her personal story.

Episode available in English and German.

Listen to the episode

Episode: The Power of Community

Let’s Talk MS a Podcast by the European MS Platform

Alongside with Host Simina Peterfi, the episode introduces Tania Pilz, a youth advocate and member of the EMSP Young People’s Network, joined by Amy Thompson founder of MS Together.

Listen to the episode

Episode: Invisible Battles: The Unseen Realities of Neurological Conditions

The Brain Health Matters Podcast by EFNA

In this episode, we’ll hear from Tania Pilz, a young woman from Austria living with Multiple Sclerosis, and GraceMarie Bricalli, President of the European ME Alliance, who will share insights into the frequently-overlooked burden of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and the urgent need for recognition and support.

Listen to the episode

Other expertise:

Inclusive Storytelling, Inclusive Design and Communication, Disability Inclusion, Disability Leadership, Intersectionality

I choose to tell my own story.

The best impact happens together.

Got an idea you want to share with me? I see every connection as an opportunity to learn from one another.

Can’t wait to hear from you!