contest Archives - The Daily Headache

Migraine Moments Short Film Contest

March 9, 2016March 7, 2016 Kerrie Smyres

Do you want to share your perspective on migraine with health care providers (including headache specialists), research scientists, and patient advocates? Migraine Moments, the American Migraine Foundation’s short film competition, is your chance to do just that. According to AMF’s website, the goal of the films is to “convey many powerful and complex ideas about migraine and people with migraine—the pain and burden of course, but also the struggles and triumphs in finding relief and help from treatments and doctors, family and friends.”

Entries, which are due by April 1, can be any sort of original video you’d like to create: documentary, music video, animation, simulations, visualizations, fiction, performance art, interpretive dance… whatever feels like the best way for you to convey your experience with migraine. Be as creative as you like, as long as the video is a finished work of your own creation that’s no longer than five minutes. Entries will be judged by members of the American Headache Society’s electronic media committee and board of directors.

The first place winner will receive $2,500 and a trip to San Diego to present their work at the American Headache Society’s meeting on Friday, June 10, 2016. The second place winner will receive $1,000 and the third place prize is $500. Winning entries will also be promoted on social media and AMF’s website.

Check AMF’s website for the Migraine Moments official contest rules and entry form.

Don’t fret if you don’t have time to get your entry together by this year’s deadline. AMF plans to turn this into an annual event.

(Wondering why the winners will be presenting at the American Headache Association’s meeting when the contest is sponsored by the American Migraine Foundation? The two groups are part of the same organization. The American Migraine Foundation is the fundraising branch of the American Headache Society. AMF is the force behind the 36 Million Migraine campaign.)

30 Things Meme, Community, Reader Stories

Win a Pair of TheraSpecs or a Coaching Session With Kerrie!

June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 Kerrie Smyres

The 30 Things meme is all about raising awareness of migraine and headache disorders… and you can win a prize, too!. Answer 30 questions about what it’s like to live with migraine or a headache disorder and submit your answers in the form at the end of the questions. By submitting your answers, you’ll be entered to win a 30-minute phone or Skype coaching session with me or your choice of any pair of indoor TheraSpecs. Your responses will be given a URL, which you can share to raise awareness. You’ll get an extra entry each time you share your 30 Things on Facebook or Twitter and tag The Daily Headache or @tdhblog (be sure to tag The Daily Headache so I see your entry!).

To be entered, simply submit your responses to the 30 Things meme by midnight June 29 (Pacific time). For extra entries, share your URL on Facebook or Twitter as many times as you wish before midnight June 29 (don’t forget to tag The Daily Headache or @tdhblog). On June 30, I will announce a randomly select a winner. To preserve anonymity of those who prefer it, I will only announce the winning entry, not the winner’s name.

Rules summary: Giveaway valid in the US and Canada only, except Quebec. (Sorry, the variation in local laws makes it too difficult to do elsewhere!) No purchase necessary. Winner will be randomly selected from all entries. Entries can be made through the 30 Things meme on The Daily Headache and sharing your answers on Facebook or Twitter (be sure to tag The Daily Headache so I see that you shared!). You can also enter by emailing kerrie[at]thedailyheadache[dot]com with the subject “Giveaway Entry.” Entries will be accepted from June 1 through midnight on June 29, Pacific time. The winning entry will be announced on June 30 on The Daily Headache, Facebook, and Twitter. The winner will have until midnight on July 3 to contact me to claim the prize. If the winner does not contact me, I will draw another winner. Email kerrie[at]thedailyheadache[dot]com for complete giveaway rules.

30 Things Meme, Reader Stories

What Are YOUR 30 Things About Living With Migraine or a Headache Disorder?

May 28, 2015June 1, 2015 Kerrie Smyres

Your early response to the 30 Things meme is so exciting! I love learning about how you all cope with migraine, CDH, and NDPH and know that other readers will learn much from you (and hope people with other headache disorders will be represented, too). Some responses have even brought me to tears, like:

“My life is not defined by my migraine disorder. Though it is a daily part of my life, I refuse to give it the upper hand. I demand that, if it is going to take from me, and it does, it will also give to me – wisdom, strength, faith, and compassion to walk this life better than I was before it came along.” —Take & Give

This reader’s insistence on gaining something from migraine is a wise approach to retaining the upper hand. So often, refusing to give the upper hand is synonymous with barging through life as if in perfect health, which often leads to worsening symptoms. Instead, this reader recognizes the loss and limitation of having migraine, but also what can be learned and gained from it. It is wisdom I try to live by, though I’ve never described it so eloquently.

Be sure to check the 30 Things Meme category and Twitter and Facebook for more insight from readers. To keep you from being overwhelmed by 10 times as many posts as usual, reader submissions are not going out by email, in RSS feeds, or on the homepage of The Daily Headache. I’ll be highlighting comments throughout Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, which starts June 1, but there’s no way I’ll be able to share them all with you.

Will you share your 30 things? Here are the instructions and links to questions: Migraine and Headache Disorders 30 Things Meme. You can tell your story and remain anonymous, if you choose. (You need to put your name and email in the form to post, but I’m the only person who will see them and I won’t send you spam.) It’s a great chance for a short reflection on your life with a headache disorder. And, each story has it’s own URL, so you can send the link to friends and family, if you wish.

P.S. I’m putting together a contest from Migraine and Headache Awareness Month and will draw winners from 30 Things submissions. I’ll share details next week.

30 Things Meme

30 Things for me

May 26, 2015May 10, 2016 reader

This is a reader-submitted story.

1. My diagnosis is: migraine.
2. My migraine attack frequency is: a few times in a week (I don’t try to count).
3. I was diagnosed in: 2011.
4. My comorbid conditions include: Asperger’s, SLE, Crohn’s, psoriasis, asthma (I don’t know if this is the right understanding of comorbid, but these are other conditions that matter lots for me).
5. I take 1 medications/supplements each day for prevention and 2 medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: age 3/4 (now I am an adult).
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: I don’t know, I can’t pick things out individually, it’s too rolled up into a whole feeling.
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: not feeling like I’m in my body or head really the same as usual.
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: being tired, lights, how other illnesses are and treatments.
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: I can’t see somehow in some places, even though I can at the same time.
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is: The inevitability after I notice the sight is not correct.
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: I don’t worry, I don’t think I ever have this feeling or understand what it is.
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: I can’t imagine that it can really be like it actually is, it must be OK.
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: Oh.
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: How does it affect you? How do you survive?
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think: I don’t watch television.
17. My best coping tools are: bed with some darkness and the right clothes and temperature.
18. I find comfort in: the moments when I am coming out of it.
19. I get angry when people say: that it can’t be too bad.
20. I like it when people say: interesting things.
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: leave me alone but also notice when it is better to go to hospital (these are quite contradictory which is a problem).
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: I’m sorry I can’t help more.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is: that I have them.
24. Migraine has taught me: I can survive much more than I imagine I can.
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: I can’t think in this way during the time. In my life I think I can live longer to contribute to society and make it better.
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: It’s not going to be fixed as soon as a doctor’s appointment comes, the doctors can’t really do much (for all the illnesses, not particularly migraine) and it might last forever.
27. The people who support me most are: Scientists who spend their lives to come up with medicines and treatments that work for all kinds of illnesses.
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: it can be quite bad.
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: people should know it’s not from being soft or pathetic.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: it is good to read about how other people survive.

Reader-submitted stories solely represent the personal point of view, experience, and opinion of the author, not of The Daily Headache or Kerrie Smyres. Follow this link to learn how to share YOUR 30 Things about living with a headache disorder.

30 Things Meme

Take & Give

May 24, 2015May 10, 2016 reader

This is a reader-submitted story.

1. My diagnosis is: Chronic Daily Migraine
2. My headache frequency is: Daily
3. The first headache I remember was: 9 years old
4. My pain levels range from: 2-8
5. I was diagnosed in: 1996
6. My comorbid conditions include: Asthma, GERD, Menière’s Disease
7. I take __6_ pills each day for prevention and __2__ pills to treat an acute attack
8. In addition to pain, other symptoms I experience include: light, sound, & smell sensitivity; dizziness; aphasia; fatigue
9. Treatments I have tried include: Dozens of preventive & abortive meds, Botox, Therapeutic Massage, Chiropractics, Yoga, Meditation, Auditory Therapy
10. During a severe headache, I: take meds, rest, use heat
11. My headaches get worse when: bright/flashing light, loud noise, stress
12. The most frustrating part about having a headache disorder is: isolation from life
13. Having a headache disorder causes me to worry about: not being able to do all I need to do
14. When I tell someone I have a headache disorder, they usually say: [blank stare]
15. When I see articles about headache disorders, I think: I’m glad they are getting attention & study
16. My best coping tools are: faith/prayer, positive thinking/focusing on blessings, stretching/yoga, hydration, rest, time w family enjoying quiet distractions, pets
17. I find comfort in: faith, family, pets, Netflix, reading, Facebook migraine groups who “get it”
18. I get angry when people say: nothing! When they don’t acknowledge my daily struggle!
19. I like it when people say: How are you? I’m sorry you have to deal with this. How can I help?
20. Something kind a person can do for me during a severe headache is: Just say they care. I can never hear that enough.
21. The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about having a headache disorder is: You’re a strong person.
22. Having a headache disorder has affected my work/school life by: I can’t work outside the home anymore.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having a headache disorder is: The unrelenting PAIN and lack of compassion that you discover in people.
24. Having a headache disorder has taught me: God will sustain me and I’m far more bad-a$$ that I ever imagined!
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through severe pain is: “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they are supposed to help you discover who you are.” -Bernice Johnson Reagon
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: You can handle this. You are stronger than you realize.
27. The people who support me most are: My husband, children, and parents.
28. The thing I most wish people understood about headache disorders is: They are neurological diseases.
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: It is an opportunity to educate people about our disorders.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about my headache disorder is: My life is not defined by my migraine disorder. Though it is a daily part of my life, I refuse to give it the upper hand. I demand that, if it is going to take from me, and it does, it will also give to me – wisdom, strength, faith, and compassion to walk this life better than I was before it came along.