In the news

Thanks so much to the folks at the ELAN arts network, for including two of my upcoming events in the March 2024 edition of ELANews!

This organization is involved in all aspects of the arts in Québec; creative writing, documentaries, drama, film, music & voice, photo- and videography, screenwriting, songwriting, theater, the visual arts, and much more.

So it's great to be featured in their monthly arts news, and fantastic to have two different events included!

One of these is my solo art exhibition, from April 15 through June 21 this year; "Watercolours on Two Wheels", at McGill University's MCLL Lounge. It's my first solo show, so I'm really looking forward to it.

The second upcoming event for me is that I should be appearing in one episode of an award-winning TV show in March or April 2024. "You Can't Ask That" - filmed for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) and the accessible AMI-tv network - is about to launch its third season, which will include an episode on chronic pain.

When I was first contacted, out of the blue by a member of the show's research team, I thought it was a prank! But it turned out to be real, and filming of the Montréal arm of this national show took place in February. It was a lot of fun, and I'm still surprised that I wasn't at all nervous.

One of the reasons for which they reached out to me was my Art Despite Pain #ArtDespitePain initiative for chronic pain awareness. Along with my activities as a volunteer Patient Partner; co-authoring pain research papers, collaborating on educational projects for healthcare professionals, giving talks to university health sciences students, mentoring others who live with persistent pain through a still-new program at the McGill University Health Centre hospital network, and serving on committees of organizations focused on chronic pain or pain research.

All of my volunteer activities sometimes seem a bit overwhelming, in particular when several different projects - with different groups - have deadlines at the same time, but all of these volunteer projects are important to me, because I know so many othes with chronic pain who are unable to actively participate.

So for as long as I'm able, in spite of my CRPS-related 'mild cognitive impairment' and two rare diseases, I'll keep at it. Raising awareness of chronic pain, and trying to help improve the situation for those of us who live with it.