MIDDLETOWN, CONN., May 4, 2020 — A Connecticut-based national nonprofit, U.S. Pain Foundation, has appointed two new members to its Board of Directors: Edward Bilsky, PhD, a professor and researcher from Washington, and Jessica Begley, MFT, a licensed therapist and community leader from Texas. The organization is the leading patient-run group for the 50 million Americans who live with chronic pain.
The Pediatric Pain Warrior Program has announced its fourth semiannual retreat will be held virtually. Registration is free and open now!
“We know this looks different than our past events, but due to the current health situation around the United States and the world, we felt it was the only safe way to put on a retreat,” says Casey Cashman, Director of the Pediatric Pain Warrior Program. “We are working diligently to make this as interactive and fun as we possibly can and hope you will join in!
As part of CHAMP (Coalition For Headache And Migraine Patients), team members of U.S. Pain Foundation participated in RetreatMigraine: the 2020 Virtual Experience April 17-19. The weekend was originally planned for an in-person event, where 300 people living with migraine would meet for an educational conference in Redondo Beach, CA. As a result of COVID-19, the retreat has been postponed.
Despite the change in plans, CHAMP recognized the need for the migraine community to connect, learn, and lift each other up during this time, and pivoted to host RetreatMigraine as online series of educational events and discussions. During the original three days scheduled for the in-person event, interactive online content was offered for all to partake in via Facebook Live. Special content was provided for those who were planning on attending the in-person retreat.
City and State: Easton, MA
Age: 30
Pain Warrior Role: U.S. Pain advocate since 2011.
Health Conditions: I live with chronic widespread pain due to lupus and chronic pelvic pain due to endometriosis.
Favorite Tip For Those Living With Pain: “Take time every single day to remind yourself that you are a strong, brave, unique, and amazing person, who is always worthy of being treated with respect and dignity. Also, never let yourself forget that you possess an intrinsic value that exists just from you being you, and having chronic pain can never negate nor diminish this.”
To provide more support and tips for self-management during the pandemic, U.S. Pain’s Pain Connection program is launching an interactive series, “Building Your Toolbox.” Each meeting in the series will focus on discussing a different pain modality with an expert in the field.
The series will be done as a videoconference using the Zoom platform, so participants can see and hear one another, and speak directly with the presenters. (Please note that you have the ability to turn your camera/microphone off.)