The Patient Advocacy Session at EHA 2016 focused on the European Reference Networks (ERN). Initiated by the European Commission and supported by all Member States, ERNs aim to address common challenges faced by professionals when diagnosing and providing highly specialized healthcare in complex rare diseases in fields such as hematology. The emerging hematology ERN, EuroBloodNet, will improve clinical outcomes and quality of life of people living with blood diseases. Patient advocate Jan Geissler explains how clinicians, the EHA and patient organizations are joining forces to establish EuroBloodNet.