UNE hosts Chronic Pain Support Group's 20th Anniversary Celebration

The Chronic Pain Support Group of Southern Maine celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gala held at the Bush Board Room at the University of New England’s Biddeford Campus on September 9, 2013.

Edward Bilsky, Ph.D., vice president for research and scholarship and director of UNE's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, spoke on “Outside Looking In—How Education, Research, and Community Activism Can Reduce Pain and Suffering.”

He noted that while researchers cannot directly experience what pain sufferers go through, they can help others—including health care providers—understand pain better and can work toward easing pain for those who live with it every day.

Jeanne Hey, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNE, welcomed the participants and applauded the link forged between the support group and UNE and the rest of the community.

The Chronic Pain Support Group had its first meeting in August 1993 at the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Saco-Biddeford. Susan Gold of Saco, who spoke at the event, founded the group and facilitated meetings twice a month for 15 years. Ernest Merritt, also of Saco, took over as group leader in 2008 and continues to serve as facilitator at the bimonthly meetings.

The support group and its members helped Gold recapture her life after she had struggled for several years with chronic pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis, she told the gathering. “The link to others who understood allowed me to take that first step toward rejecting misery, accepting my new life—pain and all—and grabbing all the joy I could every day,” Gold wrote in a message in the program.

Merritt, the current facilitator, said the group helped him cope with a back injury and the challenges of chronic pain. The group’s motto—“Pain is inevitable, misery is optional”—illustrates the members’ mission to live a good life despite pain, Merritt said. He introduced Lindsay St. Louis, a UNE student who has worked with the group for the past year, and presented her with a photograph to commemorate her contributions.

Margaret Duffy, associate vice president of public health and advocacy for the Arthritis Foundation, presented the support group with a certificate of appreciation to mark the 20th anniversary. The group is sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation and is a member of the American Chronic Pain Association.

Participants viewed the “Portraits of Pain” video, featuring interviews with several local people who live with chronic pain. Both Merritt and Gold appear in the video, which was originally presented at UNE’s “The Science of Pain and the Art of Healing” symposium in April 2013. It was produced by Lindsay St. Louis (UNE Neuroscience), Kristen Brusky '13 (UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine), Tyler Vunk '15 (UNE English) and Mike D’Apice 12 (UNE Communications).

Several members of the support group past and present spoke on living with chronic pain and how the group had an impact on their lives. Shirley Gagne and Rose Spulick, both of Biddeford and co-facilitators of the group in past years, talked about their pain journeys and the support they had received from group members. Nancy Kelley of Old Orchard Beach spoke about her long odyssey with chronic pain and the group’s encouragement and understanding during hard times.

The support group has met at the Pines in Old Orchard Beach for the past eleven years. Chancellor Place and the First Parish Congregational Church, both in Saco, also hosted the group through the years.

Meetings are held the first and third Thursday of the month at the Hospitality Room of the Pines, 20 Manor St., Old Orchard Beach. For topics and times or for more information, visit the group’s website at www.painsupportgroup.org or call Evelyn at (207) 937-5020 or Jane at (207) 934-4189 or e-mail supportgroup@gwi.net.