Chronic Pain Friends

"A society that doesn't care for its ill, is a society that doesn't care for itself." - Dr. Jacobs (Pain Specialist)

ahoy folks. for our first Meetup, i've selected the documentary Pain Warriors (2019) by Tina Petrova and Eugene Weis.

Pain Warriors delves into various facets of those living with chronic pain, touching on the stories of a young boy who overcame cancer, an elderly woman seeking relief from numerous conditions, a young mother trying to raise her daughter after suffering a disabling car accident, and even a compassionate doctor trying to better manage his patients' symptoms.

Pain Warriors is more focused on the impact chronic pain has on daily living and the long-term health + well-being of its subjects, rather than being a deep dive into the science of chronic illness and pain. while the film is more on the emotional side of the spectrum, Pain Warriors sheds light on the hurdles those living with chronic pain have in a society that isn't equipped to support them. i must admit, i felt rather seen during my initial watch of the film and had to pause it several times to allow myself to feel all them feels.

i think this documentary is a near-perfect starting point for the group. while the film never focuses too deeply on any one aspect of life with chronic illness and pain, each story it explores opens up various topics which i'd like to discuss over the coming months. subjects like pain-management (medications, stress-based reduction techniques, injection therapies, "alternate" forms of pain relief); identity loss/rebirth (concepts such as the dark night of the soul, rewilding, spirituality); and medical gaslighting (this one is unfortunately more common from my own experience and reading various chronic pain Reddit threads), to name a few.

we'll meet at the Red Brick Cafe on Sunday, October 4 at 10am. to my knowledge, the Red Brick is an accessible space (while they don't have a ramp constructed into the entrance, i believe they have an attachment to accommodate those that require one; i'll double-check with the cafe and update later!). if anyone has any specific accessibility needs, please let me know and we'll try to make it work.

you can watch Pain Warriors for free at the following link:

https://youtu.be/WB60ZCiYwgk?si=nl1yKVH31l84Fa5S

you can also stream the film on Tubi (w/ads) and Hoopla (with your Guelph Public Library card) for free.

talk soon friends!