In February of this year I attended Headache on the Hill for my second year in a row. I've been meaning to write about it for some time now, but junior year of high school is pretty hectic! I loved Headache on the Hill last year and was very excited to return. Headache on the Hill is hosted by the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy and is organized by Katie MacDonald. This year 160 advocates from 42 different states held 223 meetings with members of Congress. HOH brings together migraine patients, physicians, and others to advocate for awareness.
This year we asked Congress for two things: 1) We asked Congress to add migraine as a disability that qualifies for Social Security Insurance. Many individuals with chronic migraine are unable to go to work or attend school because of the disease and currently can't qualify for financial aid. 2) Congress recently allocated a substantial amount of money to the NIH for chronic pain research. Unfortunately, this money is disproportionately going towards research that's not related to headache disorders. We asked Congress to authorize the NIH to direct the research funds towards migraine treatment.
I had an amazing experience this year and was so excited to see familiar faces for HOH 2018, as well as meet new advocates! My group had very successful meetings and I'm very excited to see the outcome!