Check out For Grace's extra potent September Story of the Month as we continue our look at comebacks from the edge of chronic pain. Katie O'Leary was living her dreams of working in the film industry in Hollywood. Then an old sports injury blew up, leading her to develop excruciating chronic nerve pain. Though her life was in "shambles", her employer accommodated her needs, allowing her to stay in the biz while regaining health. More amazingly, Katie's pain led her to the love of her life, writing "life without pain is not possible, but life without love is unacceptable."

For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint just completed the fifth track for her upcoming expressive arts project that will depict the power of music to spark wellness. Recorded at Studio 770, Cynthia chose Natalie Merchant's "Motherland", a ballad that depicts the yearning for a return to times and places that were good and safe, a theme that every woman in pain can relate to and find solace in. For Toussaint, the song represents the yearning she feels for her beloved mother. Until this album is completed, enjoy For Grace’s previous music projects, Wonder and Crazy.    

For Grace is seeking stories that connect chronic pain with dementia for our 2027 Share Your Story theme. Research shows that suffering from long-term chronic pain puts people at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. This is due to many factors: persistent inflammation, brain atrophy, long-term use of certain medications, exposure to substantial childhood trauma, etc. If you have pain and are also challenged with dementia, have a family history or are actively practicing brain health, we’d love to hear from you.          

One of the biggest challenges of living with persistent pain is social isolation, a vexing problem that only makes the chronic pain experience worse. For Grace is deeply pleased to introduce a new online, peer-to-peer effort, led by the amazing Sara Gehrig, that aims to bring people with pain together for the better. Hello Pain Peeps' mission is to foster a safe, welcoming community where people with chronic pain feel seen, heard and understood while cultivating compassion, belonging and hope. Cheers to Hello Pain Peeps - and please link here to learn more...