When I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia over twenty years ago, I felt like an alien. I had never heard of the condition, and nobody I knew had ever heard of it. Fortunately, my husband began furiously researching TN and came across the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association, now the Facial Pain Association, and I was thrown a lifeline in the form of information and reassurances. However, a peer mentor program did not exist at the time, so I was still isolated. How comforting it would have been to talk to someone who knew what I was going through, who had actually felt the invisible pain that I attempted to describe to family and friends. After a number of years on medications to control the pain albeit with their unique side effects, I discovered acupuncture which gave me back my life — no more drugs; no more pain.
A decade later, when given the opportunity to become a peer mentor, I gladly volunteered. Whenever I correspond with people desperate in their pain, I am so grateful that I can offer them hope and reassurance. I offer hope that life can improve and reassurance that they are not alone in their journey. Recently, I was able to correspond with a French speaker, using my skills as a retired French teacher. The confluence of my own experience with TN and my knowledge of a foreign language merged as a blessing. Connections are crucial for humans, particularly when they are vulnerable, and I am honored to be able to be an instrument of connectivity.
