Thank you Obama. Because of you,my son is being seen for chronic pain.

[Akoto]

18. I am 27, disabled since 17 with incurable chronic pain issues.

In my case, the problems are central to the pelvic region. It's really disabling when the pain occurs there, at the core of your body, which is almost impossible to avoid exerting!

Whatever the cause, having chronic pain is difficult for a young man, particularly when it's so severe. I do understand what he's going through in that respect, and I am very glad that the new laws are offering him a path to treatment. If I can be so bold, I'd want to tell him two things ...

1. He needs to worry about himself right now. There's plenty of life left for him. It felt selfish when I first made the choice, but putting myself first and finding a way to arrange a bearable/comfortable life for myself was a critical decision.

2. If he is offered legitimate pain management, I would encourage him to strongly consider it. Pain management at the University of Miami has kept me sane. It doesn't take all of the pain away, but it does help, and a lot of the scary things said about it/the medications are exaggerated.

I hope things get better for him!