Since the early 2000s, I’ve been writing online as “The Migraine Girl.” My blog was anonymous until 2008, when I couldn’t keep the secret any longer: The New York Times had listed my site among the best online resources for migraine patients and their caregivers, and I simply had to tell my mom!
In my role as a health essayist, video star (ha!), patient advocate, consultant, panelist, and speaker, I have been able to compassionately educate people about migraine disease. It’s a common, complex neurological disorder that accounts for high levels of disability and work/school absences and delays, yet it’s devastatingly underfunded.
To my delight, I am the first of many health advocates working with Health Union, a Philadelphia-based company that aims to create supportive, educational communities for those living with chronic health conditions. In addition to being the first patient advocate at Health Union’s first site, Migraine.com, I also occasionally write for Psoriatic-Arthritis.com and Endometriosis.net (yep, I have those conditions, too!).
In mid-2020, I was featured in a WebMD video about migraine and its impact on my life–and the ways in which I refused to let it get in the way of my dream of opening my own bookstore. You can watch the video here.
If you’re seeking a guest blogger, interviewee, or speaker to talk about the impact migraine disease can have on one’s social life, career, family, and relationships, please reach out to me. I also love delivering keynote speeches (with Q&As to follow) to health groups and companies seeking better ways to welcome and accommodate those with invisible illnesses and chronic pain.