City & State: Gaithersburg, MD

Age: 46 years old

Pain warrior role: Advocate since 2019

What type of health conditions you live with: Foot pain neuropathy, disc disease, plantar fasciitis, tendinitis, achilles tendinitis, chronic kidney stones, kidney disease stage 3, bilateral Morton’s neuroma, depression, anxiety, degenerative disc disease, cataracts, crest disease, fibromyalgia, GERD, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain syndrome, patulous esophagus, anterior endplate bone spurring, multiple thoracic levels, venous thrombosis , chronic pain syndrome, migraine, contact dermatitis, and joint pain.

What is your favorite tip for others with chronic pain: “We are all in this together. If you see someone who is in need to talk, talk with them. Engage with people you don’t know and they seem in pain or they are talking to someone about pain. Helping others seems to help me considerably. The other thing that helps me is making art.”

What’s a fun fact about you: “A fun fact about me is I met my husband at a fairy festival. I would love to ‘glitter bomb’ the world with biodegradable glitter to make it a more shiny, happy place.”

Kelly Ann Lewis, who goes by Starfire, started her journey with advocacy by testifying at the FDA last year regarding unmet needs for patients with osteoarthritis, and has been working to help others ever since. As part of these efforts, Starfire attended U.S. Pain’s Advocacy Summit last May to help further her policy knowledge. In addition, she regularly distributes materials and information about chronic pain to help educate her fellow pain warriors. In general, she is a beacon of optimism, kindness, and creativity despite pain.