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Fayetteville musician Ali Ramsaier recently took the stage in Times Square—not just to sing, but to speak up. As a performer and advocate living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a painful auto-inflammatory skin disease, Ramsaier uses her voice to bring awareness, comfort, and courage to others with chronic illness.
“They had billboards in Times Square. They had an event. We had different pharma companies that were with us, and they had me sing,” Ramsaier said. “I mean, how many people can say they sang in Times Square?”
Her performance was part of the “Find Us” campaign hosted by HS Connect. During the event, patients walked a runway in hospital gowns printed with statements like “HS is not dirty” and “HS is not an STD.” Ramsaier performed original songs she had written about her experiences with chronic illness and personal resilience.
“It was just a surreal moment and a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “I still cry thinking about it.”
The experience also became a teaching tool. Back in Fayette County, Ramsaier shared her story and music with her voice students, using the performance to model how art can be a form of advocacy.
A 2005 graduate of Starr’s Mill High School and Berklee College of Music, Ramsaier’s career has included Off-Broadway roles and national tours. But her diagnosis in 2016 reshaped her life. HS causes recurring abscesses and often requires surgery—Ramsaier has undergone nearly 30 procedures. Even so, she continues to write, perform, and teach.
“It can really debilitate you,” she said. “Sometimes I’m fine, and then at the end of the day, I wake up in the middle of the night having pain because an abscess grew—and there’s nothing I [could] do to prevent it.”
Ramsaier also works to improve access to care for others with HS. As an independent artist without employer-sponsored health insurance, she relies on grants and pharmaceutical programs to afford her medications—and shares those resources with others facing the same struggles.
“I have to find ways of getting grants and other things like that to be taken care of,” she said. “Just because someone says no doesn’t mean it’s a no forever.”
That mindset has led to real change. After speaking about her experiences at Grady Memorial Hospital, Ramsaier helped inspire the creation of a new clinic specifically for HS patients, bringing together wound specialists, gynecologists, and burn unit staff.
When her health allows, Ramsaier still performs, and through it all, she hopes her music and story remind others that their dreams are still possible.
“I’m sure there’s people in this community that have this disease and feel lost,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel alone.”
Her message is simple but powerful: “Life’s too short. You can pursue any dream you have, no matter what condition you have. Don’t let it stop you.”
For more information about hidradenitis suppurativa and support resources, visit HSConnect.org.
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The Citizen of the Week is proudly sponsored by City of Hope® Cancer Center Atlanta, a national leader in cancer research and treatment. With expertise across all cancer types and a commitment to whole-person care, City of Hope honors those who strengthen our communities through service, compassion, and resilience.
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