Many wonderful things are happening at For Grace...

Washington DC—June 2005
Our friends at Women In Government sponsored a Pain Task Force to explore future pain policy issues. This effort was inspired by a Women In Pain presentation at Women In Government’s Annual State Director’s Conference held last December in Tucson, AZ. For Grace founder, Cynthia Toussaint, spoke at the conference, putting a face to this emerging health issue.

Now Available Online—December 2004
Authored by Elena Juris with forwards by Dr. Edward Carden and Cynthia Toussaint, this book provides a fresh, affirming perspective about living–-and coping–-with RSD. Please link from book cover to purchase via Amazon.com. From the author: "Change is a master feature of RSD. No one escapes this illness unscathed by some form of transformation. Your bodily function, thought processes, worries, and self-image will all be tinged by RSD. Parts of yourself that perhaps lay dormant and abilities that previously remained untapped may now have to come to the forefront, like overlooked cast members who must take the lead role in a play. You might come across different value systems that work better for you at this point in your life. Flirt with them, learn from them, and seize them if you find them effective right now."

Pasadena, California—October 6, 2004
For Grace founder and spokesperson, Cynthia Toussaint, was this year’s recipient of the “Excellence in Pain Management” award for her RSD awareness work. In attendance at the Gala were 300 leading Southern California health care professionals.

San Antonio, TX—September 2004
California State Senator Liz Figueroa received this year’s American Academy of Pain Management’s Legislative Advocacy Award for chairing the Senate hearing that has launched our national Women In Pain intiative. For Grace founder, Cynthia Toussaint, accepted the award on the Senator’s behalf at AAPM’s 15th Annual Clinical Meeting’s Awards Luncheon.

Las Vegas, NV—May 2, 2004
Lillian Mendez, recently crowned Mrs. Redondo Beach International, has chosen For Grace as her charity for her California run. Mrs. Mendez’s mother, Aida Pagan, has suffered with RSD for nearly a decade. Lillian is deeply committed to spotlighting this under-recognized disease and all at For Grace look forward to working with her. She’s already a winner in our book!

Accepting the invitation from For Grace's chief medical advisor, Dr. Edward Carden, Dr. P. Prithvi Raj brings to the organization his years of leadership experience in the pain management field. Besides writing several highly-regarded books of the subject, Dr. Raj was past president of the World Institute of Pain as well as co-director of pain services at Texas Tech University. It is a great honor to have Dr. Raj on board.

For Grace is happy to announce we have been given a downtown LA office from one of our dear supporters, Mr. Gary Erickson. Our new office will help us expand our awareness efforts by providing a convenient, spacious location to meet RSD folk and community leaders. Also, we will conduct on-site awareness events and provide much needed RSD information to all interested. We encourage everyone to come and visit (see Contact Us for address).

For Grace and Evenson Design Group were recognized by Horizon Interactive for their excellence in interactive media production with a silver award for the "Self Promotion/Company Identity-Website" category.

The American Chronic Pain Association has invited For Grace to join their advocacy coalition of pain organizations to build understanding and raise awareness of chronic and acute pain issues. We are proud to be members of this groundbreaking effort!

We’re excited to be in partnership with this unique and innovative organization. Community Partners acts as an “incubator” in support of emerging initiatives by providing financial and administrative oversight along with management training and technical assistance.

"The dream of never again" was officially launched with joy, hope… and grace.