City & State: Brooklyn, NY, and Trumbull, CT

Age: 46

Pain warrior role: U.S. Pain advocate since 2019

What type of health conditions you live with: Chronic intractable migraine, degenerative disc disease, small fiber neuropathy, and restless legs syndrome.

What is your favorite tip for others with chronic pain: Join a chronic pain support group. Participate in advocacy projects for your condition. And specifically for migraineurs, noise-canceling headphones are a must!

What’s a fun fact about you: I love to hike. My favorite adventures kicking up dust have been in the Ural Mountains in Russia, the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, and the Tian Shan Mountains in Kyrgyzstan.

Kristin Whitehead began advocating in 2019 for patients, working to increase access to treatment and care. She visited the U.S. Capitol for an advocacy day for restless leg syndrome, participated in U.S. Pain’s 2020 Virtual Advocacy Training, and has completed a virtual chronic pain support group training. Kristin runs a bimonthly support group for the state of New York, which you can find here.