Chronic pain can make you feel insignificant. Living with limitations day in and day out, you start to believe you don’t matter as much as the next person.
But you do.
In fact, we would argue that you’re stronger and more determined than anyone. It takes immense courage and grace to live with constant pain. It means learning how to find joy in the little things and discovering meaning in even small victories, like being able to get outside for a few minutes, or having enough energy to take a shower.
Most 16 year olds are focused on their cellphones and televisions. But not 16-year-old Tyler Cashman, of Tewksbury, N.J. Tyler will host two “Points for Pain” fundraiser basketball games at Old Turnpike Middle School on Jan. 24 at 5 pm and at Voorhees High School on Jan. 29 at 7 pm. [PLEASE NOTE: The Jan. 29 game has been reschedule to Feb. 11 due to inclement weather.] All proceeds benefit Pediatric Pain Warriors, which provides support for children with chronic pain and their families through weekend retreats, education days, a magazine highlighting pediatric patient stories, a pen pal program, and more.
On Nov. 3, CrossFit Los Altos and Focused Individual Trainers hosted its annual Fight Gone Bad fundraiser workout to support the efforts of U.S. Pain Foundation. A total of 45 athletes participated, raising more than $22,000 to support two recently held patient education days in Chicago and Boston and an upcoming support group leader weekend training.
The fundraiser is a organized by Rick Dyer, director of CrossFit Los Altos, in honor of his wife Nicole Hemmenway, interim CEO of U.S. Pain Foundation. Hemmenway lives with complex regional sympathetic disorder.
Now through Nov. 2, AmazonSmile is donating 5% of all purchases back to a charity of your choice, including U.S. Pain Foundation! AmazonSmile offers all the same products, at the same prices, as Amazon.
“If you’ve ever wanted to donate to U.S. Pain and give back to our programs for people with pain–from support groups to the INvisible Project–but couldn’t afford it, this is a great, free chance to help,” says Nicole Hemmenway, Interim CEO.
Sadie Peek, one of U.S. Pain’s pediatric pain warriors, is proof that one young person really can have an impact on the world. Last year, as a junior at St. Bernard School in Uncasville, CT, she had a great idea: setting up a fundraiser for U.S. Pain that would allow classes to compete against each other—even undermine each other—to raise donations. “Penny Wars on Pain” was born.
“Penny Wars on Pain” uses a novel approach to raising money. Like many other fundraisers, there’s a prize for the class that raises the most money (in this case, the winners celebrated with a donut party); unlike most other fundraisers, there’s an element of sabotage in play. The challenge’s basis is to raise the greatest amount of money using the smallest possible denominations of coins. Each class has a donation box, and each penny added by a student is a positive point for his or her class. The twist is that students then can sabotage the other classes by dropping denominations larger than a penny into other classes’ bins, which counts for negative points for the class receiving them. For instance, if you drop $1? That’s negative 100 points.
Members of the pain warrior community came together June 2 for U.S. Pain’s third annual “Real Hope, Real Heroes” gala in Scottsdale, AZ. This year’s event specifically honored participants in the migraine and rheumatoid arthritis/rheumatoid disease editions of the INvisible Project.
Guests were surprised with a special appearance from Karen Duffy, an actress, TV personality and model best known for her work as an MTV video jockey in the 1990s and from roles in hit movies like “Blank Check,” “Reality Bites,” and “Dumb and Dumber.” Duffy lives with chronic pain as the result of sarcoidosis, a rare disease that impacts the brain and central nervous system. She has become an advocate for the chronic pain community and is the author of two books, including “Backbone: Living with Chronic Pain without Turning into One.”
U.S. Pain will hold its third annual Real Hope, Real Heroes Gala: A celebration of real-life heroes on June 2 in Scottsdale, AZ. The goal of the evening is to shed light on the invisibility of pain while also honoring amazing pain warriors. All proceeds go toward U.S. Pain’s programs and services.
This year, the gala will feature participants from the last two editions of the INvisible Project, which highlighted migraine disease and rheumatoid arthritis/rheumatoid disease respectively. The INvisible Project is a print magazine and website that highlights the bravery and perseverance of pain warriors through stories and photos.
January was a busy month for some of U.S. Pain’s youngest pain warriors.
Jan. 11 marked the third annual Points for Pain fundraiser hosted by 14-year-old Tyler Cashman, director of pediatric fundraising and awareness, at Voorhees Regional High School in Glen Gardner, NJ. The event, which consisted of a bake sale, raffles, and a varsity girls basketball game, has raised more than $4,500 and counting. Cashman spoke and shared the pediatric edition of the INvisible Project project to a packed gym. All of the funds raised from this event go towards U.S. Pain’s Pediatric Pain Warrior Program.
Amazon Smile provides a great excuse to treat yourself and loved ones–for a good cause–this holiday season. If you shop using https://smile.amazon.com and select U.S. Pain Foundation as your designated charity, Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of your purchase to U.S. Pain.
The prices and products on Amazon Smile are exactly the same as Amazon; there is no additional cost to you.
“It’s an easy, free way to support a nonprofit like U.S. Pain,” says Casey Cashman, director of fundraising. “As people with pain, shopping online is so convenient; now there’s an even better reason to do it.
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (Oct. 6, 2017)—Throughout the month of October, U.S. Pain Foundation is teaming up with Healthline on a campaign to bring awareness to invisible illness and raise money for a good cause. The request: share a photo or video that makes your chronic condition visible on social media with the #MakeItVisible hashtag. Make sure the post is public, not on private or friends-only settings.