Twenty years ago from her bed, For Grace spokesperson Cynthia Toussaint pitched a segment idea to the producers at Discovery Health's Mystery Diagnosis, one that pulled back the curtain on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a devastating disease that has upended countless lives. Once greenlit, Cynthia and her partner John unblinkingly shared their CRPS experience, telling their tale of heartbreak, but ultimate triumph, through love and perseverance. We just learned that this 18-minute episode is airing again worldwide, illustrating the power of picking up the phone and sharing one's passion. You can view Part One and Two here.    

Acute pain is something everyone on the planet will experience at one time or another, as it's an alarm system that tells us about injury, infection or disease. Indeed, we wouldn't survive long without it. But when acute pain ignites, it needs to be addressed promptly to prevent it from becoming something worse. Team For Grace is excited to launch a new project, our Acute Pain Awareness & Education Campaign, that will provide resources, tools and real-life stories to help people make a plan of action when, not if, the acute pain alarm sounds!

Check out For Grace's November Story of the Month as we take another look at the intersection between chronic pain and social isolation. Stu Smith has been the devoted caregiver for 28 years to his wife, Ellen, who suffers from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. As her disease progressed, Stu agonized over their eroding social lives, one rooted in family, church, fitness and more. Miraculously, they found a therapy that improved Ellen's function and have regained much of their social connection, while Stu relishes in the role of "comforting motivator."

For Grace leadership was recently asked to provide feedback on a Stanford University's CHOIR (Collaborative Health Outcomes Information Registry) learning system that helps people with pain share information about how pain affects their lives. With CHOIR, patients fill out questionnaires about their pain, mood and daily functioning and this data is then used by their clinicians to inform individualized care. We applaud Stanford's efforts (in partnership with the NIH) to gain better understanding into the lived experienced to enhanced care outcomes.