Check out For Grace's special July Story of the Month as we explore medical trauma's impact on chronic pain. Maya Kowalski was a happy, healthy 10-year old when a severe asthma attack led to burning arms and legs and a diagnosis of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS.) Ketamine gave her some sustained relief, but it was a CRPS flare five years later that sent Maya to the ER. What followed was a nightmare of unimaginable grief, abuse and loss. Maya's story is now a Netflix documentary, both searing and eye-opening in its unveiling of broken systems breaking families.
Check out For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint's latest thought-provoking column on Pain News Network! When you've been wrangling with the ebbs and flows of life-altering, high-impact chronic pain for decades, sometimes you can't help but gauge when enough is enough. Cynthia shares how a pain-rocketing complication of cancer treatment has taken her over the line to a place she hoped she'd never again travel. Once there, how does one conjure up the courage to fight the impossible? Can one find the mercy and peace to go on? Link HERE to read "Painfully Stepping Over the Line."
New language that expands on the pain experience has been added to For Grace's annual resolution that will trumpet September as Pain Awareness Month in California. Marking the 20th year For Grace has sponsored this effort, author Senator Maria Elena Durazo has once again offered her leadership in drafting and submitting this awareness-raising proclamation to the Senate floor. Additionally, the resolution (SR 48) signals September 1st as Women In Pain Awareness Day which will shine a legislative spotlight on gender bias toward women's pain care.
Check out For Grace's June Story of the Month as we continue to explore the connection between trauma and chronic pain. Author of the hot-selling The Migraine Relief Plan Cookbook, Stephanie Weaver began experiencing strange sensations early in life, making her feel "zoned out" and disconnected from her body. Years later she developed debilitating back pain and sciatica triggered by a roller-skating injury that was never properly addressed. Stephanie now understands that her dissociation was a coping mechanism that helped her survive years of childhood sexual abuse - and wonders if her life-long pain could have been avoided if she'd been "embodied sooner."
