For Grace | Women In Pain

For Grace is a nonprofit organization devoted to ensuring the ethical and equal treatment of all women in pain.

For Grace’s 5th Annual Women In Pain Conference - Mark Your Calendar!!!
This year’s enlightening, empowering event will be held in downtown Los Angeles on September 14th. Our 2012 theme, Finding Our Tribe, will focus on pain and relationships and how they impact our wellness, with a special emphasis on our all-important caregivers! Please check back on June 1st for details and registration…

For Grace Celebrates 10 Years of Good Work!
Please link here to see our note of appreciation…

URGENT NEWS! For Grace’s “Fail First” Pain Bill Set to Be Heard in Senate Health. We Need Your Support Letters NOW!!
Our California Step Therapy (aka, “fail first”) bill, AB 369, will be voted on by the Senate Health Committee in early June. We’ll be needing everyone’s letters of support and calls to push this crucial legislation to Governor Brown - so that barriers to appropriate pain treatment will be a thing of the past! Please link here to send your letters of support that will limit this unethical prescription practice used by the health insurance industry to save money at the cost of pain patients.
AB 369 Press Release AB 369 Fact Sheet More Information about Step Therapy & AB 369

For Grace’s Inaugural Celebrity Fundraiser!
“A Night With The Stars - Lights, Camera, Action Against Pain” will be an evening (Date TBA) on a make-believe movie set, featuring celebrity appearances, live performance, dinner and a live & silent auction - sure to bring the paparazzi out. So come decked out as your favorite movie star!

For Grace’s 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference: Gender Matters
View the Webcast Replay of this Empowering Event!
Video Montage of Conference Featuring Photos by Dana Gambill & Vocal Performance by Cynthia Toussaint
“Reframe Your Pain, Reclaim Your Life” was this year’s theme where women in pain attendees and viewers from around the world gained insight to essential self-care tools needed to thrive with pain. Our 2011 conference was hosted on September 16th in downtown Los Angeles. For event information, please link here.
Conference Press Release
Conference coverage on ABCNews.com!

For Grace in the News!

On May 11th, John Garrett, Director of For Grace, was a the guest on the “Winning Life Through Pain” internet radio show with host Coach Marla. He shared his challenges and insight that he gained as a 30-year caregiver of a woman in pain.

For Grace generated and consulted for an April 19th ABCNews.com article titled “Cancer Patients Suffer Unnecessary Pain” that featured Johnie Bennett from our Women In Pain Leadership Circle. Johnie gives inspiring quotes about how self-care brought her to a place of control and better wellness.

In the op-ed titled, “It’s Time to Put a Stop to Step Therapy”, our founder criticizes this unethical prescription practice dubbed “fail first.” The piece posted March 20th on PainLive.com takes a swipe at the health insurance industry for putting up barriers to timely and appropriate pain care - and highlights our pending California bill AB 369.

The psychology of pain is explored in an article, “Managing the Stress of Chronic Pain”, that is currently appearing on myregence.com. For Grace Board member Dr. Beth Darnall and Spokesperson Cynthia Toussaint are featured!

An op-ed titled “Delay No More” about our “fail first” bill, AB 369, penned by For Grace spokesperson Cynthia Toussaint, is running in the March issue of both Southern California Physician and MDNG Pain Management magazines.

For Grace inspired, consulted and interviewed for an ABC World News with Diane Sawyer segment on Feb. 14th that focused on women being disbelieved and undertreated for their pain conditions. Headlined “Women In Pain”, this piece will be picked up by all ABC affiliates in the US.

An excellent article ran Jan. 23rd on ABCNews.com highlighting a Stanford University study that concludes women report more pain than their male counterparts. For Grace consulted for this piece titled “Do Women Feel More Pain Than Men? Study Says, ‘Yes’” - and features Tiiu Leek and Mindy Meyer from our Leadership Advocacy Circle. Great work, ladies!

For Grace spokesperson Cynthia Toussaint was on the Internet radio program “Winning Life Through Pain” on December 15th sharing personal wisdom about surviving and thriving with chronic pain.

On December 6th, The California Channel broadcast live a Sacramento Informational hearing that explored opioid abuse. Our founder Cynthia Toussaint testified on behalf of the responsible and ethical prescribing of these medications as a means to maintain pain control for millions of Californians. Please link here to view her testimony and the hearing.

Please check out this personal perspective about the pain experience that’s running in the September issue of MDNG Pain Management magazine. In this feature, entitled “One Woman’s Dance with the Pain Experience”, For Grace spokesperson Cynthia Toussaint shares her pain journey and remission, and what led her to work on behalf of all women in pain.

Mindfulness Meditation expert Dr. Marvin Belzer, along with For Grace leaders, were interviewed on KPFK-FM’s (90.7 in Los Angeles) “Access Unlimited” show on September 13th. The 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference was discussed along with alternative therapies for pain control.

A fantastic article, “Chronic Pain is No Laughing Matter”, ran August 19th on ABCNews.com about our upcoming 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference! It features conference presenters comedian Kathy Buckley, Pain Psychologist Dr. Beth Darnall and Mindfulness Meditation expert Dr. Marvin Belzer.

We generated an excellent article written by one of our Women In Pain leaders, Dr. Beth Darnall, running in the July issue of MDNG Pain Management magazine. This informative piece, entitled “Sex/Gender Disparity in Pain and Pain Treatment”, brings essential awareness about the pain gender divide - and trumpets For Grace’s upcoming 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference.

Thrilled to announce that an excellent article ran June 29th on ABCNews.com that highlighted the groundbreaking Institute of Medicine’s report to Congress about the state of pain and its treatment in America. “Nation Fails Millions of Americans in Pain” also features For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint’s remission and our upcoming 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference in Los Angeles.

Pleased to announce that a story Ms. Toussaint wrote about Step Therapy (aka, “fail first”) and our California bill, AB 369, is running in the June issue of Southern California Physician magazine.

Please see this informative article about Rheumatoid Arthritis and how it impacts young adults - that ran June 16th on ABCNews.com. For Grace generated and consulted for this piece - and Yvonne Evans, who is featured, will be one of the panelists at our upcoming 4th Annual Women In Pain Conference in September!

Get 11 great tips about “How to Ease Fibromyalgia Pain when Traveling.” For Grace interviewed for this informative piece that was posted on April 26th on LifeScript.com, one of the world’s leading websites devoted to women and health!

Here’s a link to “Let’s Delay No More”, an op-ed penned by Ms. Toussaint about our California Step Therapy (aka, “fail first”) bill, AB 369, running in Southern California Physician magazine’s April issue.

For Grace consulted for an informative article about Restless Leg Syndrome that ran April 5th on ABCNews.com. We’re delighted that actor and For Grace supporting artist Kevin Dobson shared his story, entitled “Could Restless Leg Point to Troubled Heart?”, to help others with this baffling disorder.

Here’s an article about the gender disparity in pain management that ran in the April issue of MORE magazine. For Grace inspired, consulted and interviewed for this excellent expose entitled “The Male-Female Pain Gap.” Check it out!

Here’s a link to Baltimore’s WBAL AM radio show, Aches and Gains, that our founder interviewed for (pre-remission) about CRPS that aired on March 12th.

View Our WIP Public Service Announcement!
“Unsung Heroes” features actor Jack Coleman”

Exciting Women In Pain Wellness Resource!
101 Ideas to Empower Women In Pain to Survive & Thrive!

Advocacy Tool Kit—Women In Pain Be Heard!
Check out this great resource for ideas to get the word out about the pain gender divide

Our Mission