As they say, all good things must come to an end. And so it is that Team For Grace has discontinued its fight to land a Pain Awareness Month resolution in the Golden State for the 23rd year in a row. With language that touts women as under-served for pain care, sadly headwinds at the Capitol have turned against women's issues in 2026, making this change too huge a challenge to overcome. As disappointed as we are for the organization as well as the hundreds of thousands of women in pain who reside in California, we gratefully thank authoring legislators and their staffers who supported this incredible run over the years. Rest assured, we'll be asking all to call their legislator's offices in September to start the push for 2027!    

Pleased to report For Grace founder Cynthia Toussaint has reached the half-way mark of her memoir that will focus on the impact of early trauma on the development of chronic illness as well as the pitfalls of family dysfunction and the powerful choice of estrangement for self-preservation. As a follow up to her 2013 Battle for Grace, Cynthia has spent years studying how trauma sets up the body for bad outcomes - and she hopes, when completed, Scapegoat: How Childhood Trauma and Family Dysfunction Nearly Took My Life and How I Survived will help women in pain identify their trauma, find release and move on to post-traumatic growth.    

Check out our June Story of the Month as we continue to spotlight comebacks over the dregs of chronic pain. Kai Ocean looked forward to serving her country and joined the Army to do just that. Unfortunately, early in her service, she found herself increasingly isolated due to an emotionally abusive marriage. This, along with battling anxiety from the rigors of military training, soon caused her body to express itself in the form of fibromyalgia. After extracting herself from this toxic relationship while re-engaging with healthy communities and a fulfilling career, Kai now experiences far less pain and enjoys the autonomy that brings her so much wellness.

Team For Grace is urgently asking people with chronic pain and their caregivers in California to contact their state legislators to save a critical pain care therapy from the chopping block. Currently, acupuncture is a covered benefit with the state's Medi-Cal insurance, but Governor Newsom's latest budget proposal strips that away. Acupuncture is an effective, non-opioid pain management tool that has offered relief to hundreds of thousands throughout the state. Please urge your representative to vote YES on SB 944 and AB 1949 by using this letter. Thank You!