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.

For Grace Director John Garrett has been invited to join an NIH HEAL ("Helping to End Addiction Long-Term") Initiative panel to give a caregiver's perspective on upcoming clinical trials in pain research. The panel is seeking PWLE individuals ("People With Lived Experience") and Garrett, a 43-year caregiver of a person with high-impact pain, is well suited to contribute as an advisor to this important effort to improve research and care. The NIH HEAL Initiative aims to speed scientific solutions to the opioid epidemic and the crisis of chronic pain.

It is with the heaviest of hearts we share that long-time For Grace board member Jane Goodall passed away in Los Angeles yesterday at age 91. Jane was world-renowned for her groundbreaking work with primates along with her visionary efforts to better the planet's natural environment and our understanding and compassion for the animal kingdom. Also, Jane was beyond kind and generous in lending her name and network to forward For Grace's work to improve the plight of women in pain across the globe. She is irreplaceable in every way, but we are deeply confident that Jane's light and humanity will shine on forever...and ever...