Age: 56 years young
Location: Sacramento, CA
Pain warrior role: Ambassador since 2015
Health conditions: Chronic low back pain, leg circulation issues, leg ulcers, skin grafts, slight memory issues, and edema.
Tip for pain warriors: "For people just starting their chronic pain journey, I always say, 'pain without humor is just painful.' What I mean by this is, even with the worst pain possible, if you never laugh, what do you have? A life of pain is difficult, so laugh. Also, you have to care for yourself before you can care for someone else."
Fun fact: "Four other caregivers and I became chat group friends and then joined together to write a book 365 Caregiving Tips, Practical Tips from Everyday Caregivers. That one book has turned into four books with two available in Spanish."
Richard is a certified caregiving advisor who helps support caregivers, providing information and helping with challenges caregivers face. He also is a group counselor who works with those who have or those living with someone who has a chronic condition. In addition, he is a moderator on four different social media sites aimed at helping others in pain. Richard is very active on social media in general, providing information to the pain community and frequently helping share U.S. Pain's efforts online.
