Last weekend, more than 125 kids with chronic pain and their families traveled from across the country for the first-ever Pediatric Pain Warrior retreat in Disney World. The event was the official kick-off of U.S. Pain’s new Pediatric Pain Warrior program, which is dedicated to the unique needs of children with chronic illnesses and their loved ones.
The weekend included plenty of opportunities for fun, like dinner with Mickey Mouse and a scavenger hunt, but the focus was education and empowerment. Saturday featured a full day of presentations ranging from the importance of talking about pain and sharing your story to tips for living with common pain conditions, like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome. The retreat also celebrated the release of the INvisible Project: Pediatric second edition, which will be available online in the coming weeks.
U.S. Pain was one of several organizations to sponsor 58 children with chronic pain and their families to attend Pediatric Pain Camp at The Center for Courageous Kids, a facility in Scottsville, KY, that offers summer camp programming for kids with serious illnesses. The camp provides activities suitable for children with different abilities and offers an on-site medical center staffed by a full-time doctor.
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.
Ty Cashman, U.S. Pain’s director of Pediatric Fundraising, has been getting a lot of attention thanks to his much-deserved recognition from the Yankees during HOPE Week in June. Most recently, Cashman was highlighted in a short documentary about Points for Pain that aired last month on the YES Network, and can be seen here.
But Cashman’s goal isn’t accolades: it’s raising more funding for pediatric pain warriors. That’s why he’s encouraging other kids to get involved and host their own Points for Pain games.
U.S. Pain program, Points for Pain, honored by New York Yankees
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. (May 26, 2017)—Most teenage boys want to spend their free time watching TV and playing video games. But not 14-year-old Tyler Cashman. Since 2015, Tyler has worked tirelessly to raise $35,000 for children living with painful, chronic conditions through a unique fundraising and awareness program, Points for Pain. Tyler started the program in collaboration with the U.S. Pain Foundation, the leading nonprofit for both adults and children with chronic pain.
As a nonprofit, U.S. Pain Foundation runs solely on contributions from corporate sponsors as well as private donors. The organization is encouraging members to consider hosting fundraising events to help support its mission and services.
“We rely on individual generosity to be able to offer our many programs free of charge, whether Take Control of Your Pain events, the People with Pain Matter campaign, or Pain Connection services,” says Nicole Hemenway, vice president of U.S. Pain. “Even if you are unable to give financially, you can still help out by coordinating a local fundraiser. Most people get scared of the word fundraiser, but it’s really very easy and fun. We also have a lot of different ways to fundraise, so you can pick something that best suits your interests and abilities.”
13-year-old Tyler Cashman, U.S. Pain director of pediatric awareness and fundraising, has raised more than $8,600 so far this year through three recent Points for Pain basketball games. All of the games took place in Cashman’s home state of New Jersey. The first was at Old Turnpike Middle School on Dec. 14, the second at Voorhees High School on Jan. 31 and the third at Montclair State University on Feb. 11. At the Jan. 31 game, which took place at Cashman’s high school, New Jersey Assemblyman Erik Peterson presented him with a resolution recognizing his exceptional advocacy work.