Calling all Californians with chronic pain! We need your all-important stories at For Grace's August 14th legislative briefing at the State Capitol in Sacramento. The briefing will educate legislators, staffers and health agency leaders about chronic pain, its impact and the need for better pain care. We need people with pain - your faces, voices and passion to help policy and decision makers understand the real-life suffering that accompanies persistent pain. Please join us from 10am to Noon in Room 113 - and join us afterward when we follow up with all who attended. See you there!

Please check out our August Woman In Pain Story of the Month! Kathleen Sutherland has lived with fibromyalgia for 25 years - and from the start was told by her doctors that her overly sensitive personality was the cause of her pain. At first consumed with guilt and shame, Kathleen followed their lead,  and her family and friends responded in kind. With time and much research, Kathleen came to see that she wasn't at fault and has now become an advocate for women in pain!

For Grace leaders are Maryland bound this week to present at the Healthy Women Chronic Pain Summit. Sharing their expertise about how gender effects the pain experience, Cynthia Toussaint and John Garrett will talk about how they became advocates for women in pain and their caregivers, as well as For Grace's efforts to launch a California pain strategy. If you're in the Baltimore area, please consider attending this great event.