For 7 years I’ve had a migraine that has never gone away. My life is consumed around catering to my pain, but it’s also inspired me to focus on my health and self-care! I’ve also developed a strange enjoyment for nerve blocks and peppermint oil.

After seeing 7 different specialists, thank you to Dr. Henry for being the very first person in my life to never settle without a solution!

My migraines started in February of 2009. I can remember looking at Valentine’s present a friend had gotten his girlfriend and my vision started to blur and I could not read an engraving right in front of me. Since then I have never had a full day without pain.

I’ve seen over 10 different doctors all who knew exactly what was causing the problem, and had the magic answer. I went through multiple tests, drugs, and other treatments all ending in the same frustration of being turned away. Being told there was nothing more to try, and to start from the beginning with a new doctor starts to feel hopeless. Everything in life is planned tentatively around it being a good day or a bad day, knowing that at any moment I can go from tolerable to laying flat out in the dark.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Henry for over 2 years now and since then I have been able to hold a steady job and go back to school. Dr. Henry is the first doctor to not stop trying; he is constantly looking for something new to try. He helps me manage my unbearable pain and nausea. Whether it’s fitting me in for a last minute IV, working around my 70-pound service dog, or planning a nerve block right before my final so I can focus on the important things in life rather than pain.

Being able to cope and manage pain is very different from having it be cured. I’m enthralled to see how much awareness this Foundation has raised. It is far worse than any headache you can imagine and it’s never as easy as popping an Excedrin and powering through. Managing depression is also a constant battle, but having hope is what drives me to keep trying to live a life as normal as possible, hope that this is something that can be beat and eventually will take away my pain.

My migraine saga began when I was 10 years old, only I didn’t realize that until I heard Danielle Henry’s story. When I was in the fifth grade, I began getting what I thought was the flu every two weeks. My teacher thought I was faking, but I was violently ill for a solid 24 hours. I know now that I was suffering from abdominal migraines with all the symptoms. I was entering puberty and was predisposed to migraines; I inherited them from my father’s side of the family.

At 21, I started getting severe migraines every month that were related to hormones. When I was 39, I got a migraine that lasted from October to March. I barely continued working every day; it was difficult being sensitive to light and sound.

Some years later, I now have chronic migraines; only one medication works to abort them, and it can cause rebound migraines.

Life with migraines is like walking on a high wire with a net that has holes in it.

In 2016, I was having daily migraines and nausea and discovered I needed gallbladder surgery. Following that, the nausea and migraines continued, which led to the discovery that genetically I don’t have the enzyme to digest sucrose and fructose. I now take the oral solution of Sucraid with my meals which has reduced the number of migraines I have to about 12 to 15 a month rather than daily.

Restorative yoga through the Daniele Byron Migraine Foundation Headache School has offered relaxation and stretching, which helps me deal with my migraines, along with the information provided during the sessions by the experts.

My son Kyle is 10 years old. This sweet spirit joined our family with a smile and was known by all to always share his smile with anyone around him. Until Kyle turned 4 years old.

This smile quickly faded until it was almost a lost art. He struggled with chronic migraines and try as he may, his life of happiness faded and the migraines completely took over.

I lost my son in my eyes. As a parent, my heart ached and I just wished that I could take the pain away. I thought I’d never get my child back.

After a few years of no comfort and several physicians later we came to know Dr. Henry.

Within just a month time I was able to see my son return to the amazing and happy child that everyone used to know. Truly, we are so blessed. His favorite thing to do now is to write inspirational letters to everyone that he sees that needs just a bit of cheering up.

He is an active, thriving, inspiration of perseverance.

By Melisa Olsen

I started getting migraines when I was 15, 20 years ago. I was diagnosed with Hashimotto’s this last year, an auto immune disease that affects the thyroid, and found out I have a gluten allergy. By tweaking a few things in my diet, my migraines have gone from 15-20 per month to 2-5, and those are during my menstrual cycle. I think it’s important that each individual do all they can to pin point the root cause of their specific migraines.

I’ve suffered with chronic migraines for two years. It has been devastating on my educational and social life; I was forced to leave the school and all my friends. Through hard work I was able to get my grades under control, my social life however is pretty much non-existent.

I’ve tried several medicines, and have joined a support group for teens with chronic migraines. Recently I was admitted into the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and I hope that that will help. I only wish that migraines were better understood and that it were a simple fix.

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For our entire lives, my husband and I have been dedicated to fixing things and making our world a better place. Identify the problem, find and implement a solution, and get running again – that is what we have done all our lives! It is so frustrating to find that we can’t help our child, we can’t fix chronic migraines.

Migraine is a neurological event that medical researchers can now see occurring on functional MRIs. They can see a wave called “cortical spreading depression” spread across the brain during a migraine. This unexplained occurrence has been happening in my son’s brain every week, once a week for almost two years now. Right there in front of me, I can see a migraine happening to my son but I can’t break down why it is happening or find a way to stop it from happening.

Two years ago I did not know what a chronic migraine was and we went to the doctor to “fix” the problem. I assumed we would get a pill or some means of fixing the health issue and move on with our lives. The doctor diagnosed the condition I had never heard of, declared my son disabled, and handed me a 504 letter. I had never heard of chronic migraines and did not know what a 504 letter was. I went very quickly from having a “gifted” child to having a sick child.

This has affected our family in so many ways. For a teenager to get control of this difficult disease is a far greater challenge than many can understand. A doctor can tell you to learn to live with a disease, but in day-to-day life, you start to find out how hard that is to do. The medications can cause terrible side effects and switching medication can cause depression. There is panic when a migraine hits at the worst possible time and constant fatigue that can impede your child’s life more than the migraines.

The misunderstanding and underestimation of the effects of this disease have made the journey much more difficult than we had ever imagined. There is hope, there is happiness, and there will be a happy ending one way or the other. It just will take more time and determination than we had anticipated.

Living with migraines means every day, every hour, is a gamble. You never know when you’ll suddenly be stopped in your tracks, unable to see or think clearly, prohibited by your own body from working, going to school, or even being around others at all. It means hyper vigilance about the foods you eat and smells you surround yourself with, from air fresheners to deodorant. It means constantly having to explain to people around me that, “No, I’m not being dramatic, or seeking attention, in fact, could you turn that spotlight away from me? It’s making it worse. I do not have a low pain tolerance – it’s NOT just a headache.” It means frustration because of emergency room doctors thinking you’re seeking pain medication, professors that believe you are simply too lazy to come to class, and friends that angrily confront you about missing some planned event.

Worst of all, it means an inherent lack of understanding from most people and an automatic judgment about you. You just want someone who ‘gets it’. In reality, until people don’t have to experience the agony of migraines to comprehend what you’re going through, it’s better if they don’t get it, because you’ve been there, and you wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

In the year since Shine Her Light, Dr. Henry and his treatments have been a godsend. I don’t know how I can ever thank him and the foundation for always being hyper vigilant for those that suffer from the same affliction that I do. Without their constant support, I never would have been able to achieve my lifelong dreams.

The information I’ve gained has helped me to spread awareness and knowledge to those around me. My family, friends, and colleagues now know so much more than they ever did before, and that alone has improved my quality of life immensely. Understanding is key to just feeling that our pain is real – and that means the world.

Even if my migraines are as much a part of me as my eye color, having someplace to direct others to gain information about this disease that will always be a part of my life, has been so important.

Nothing about migraines is good, but they have taught me so much: compassion, understanding, and to savor the good moments, because those moments can change so quickly. Being able to let the people closest to me know what I go through and struggle with makes all the difference in my life. All I’ve ever wanted was someone who understood, and now I have a community that knows.

Thank you for all you do – every single one of you. We are stronger for our struggles, and better for the work the Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation does on behalf of all of us.

Ever since I can remember I’ve struggled with migraines and headaches. My earliest memory of having a migraine was when I was about 4 years old. But it was just a part of my life. Through my childhood, I was always nervous to go to sleepovers or activities at friends’ houses because if I got a migraine it would ruin everyone’s day/night/plans.

This feeling still keeps me from making too many commitments – because I feel if I say “yes”, and have to cancel because of a migraine, people will think it’s just the “same old excuse” – even though it’s the truth.

In my 20’s my migraines got much worse. I saw many neurologists who wouldn’t even look me in the eye, just asked me what medications I wanted and sent me on my way – I didn’t want medication, I wanted help, some sort of resolution

After many failed neurologist appointments a friend referred me to Dr. Longe at Foothill Family Clinic. He was such a blessing, and a wonderful doctor, and the most amazing thing he did was refer me to Dr. Dan Henry. I’ve been under Dr. Henry’s care for about 8 years now, and although I still experience migraines, they are so much better than when I started seeing him. Dr. Henry truly shows compassion and understanding for and about this disease and his patients that no other medical professional I’ve seen has. He has a passion to help his patients and I am so grateful for all the help he’s given me. I am SO excited for what the future holds for the migraine community with Dr. Henry at the forefront of migraine treatment and research! Thank you Dr. Henry!

I started having migraines when I was a teenager but only once a month. As time went on they became more frequent. About 10 years ago I started having them 3 times a week. After a surgery 6 years ago, I began having continuous migraines. The only difference is in the intensity of the pain throughout the day or night.

My life has completely changed. I used to be active in sports, pottery, and always on the go. Now I often have to sleep during the day or drag myself around to accomplish anything. Most people don’t understand me or think it could not really be that bad. There are doubters all around.

I have to fight off the depression when I tell people I can’t go because I am in too much pain, too tired or exhausted. I keep hoping there will be something in the future and I will get my old life back.

I have benefited from attending the Headache School since it began. Migraine Disease is complicated and needs numerous avenues, modalities, and suggestions from a wide variety of practitioners. The school has provided all of those. Seeing Dr Henry has also helped give me hope and courage to continue in my search to find what can help. Continuing with Botox has lessened my pain. I hope to continue to find new ways to help me in my quest with my migraines.

Since last year’s fundraiser, I have continued to learn how to live with Chronic Migraines. The first three years of living with Chronic Migraines, I adjusted my life in practical ways like testing food intolerances, sleep schedules, staying hydrated, etc. Last year I was learning about emotional triggers such as how to listen to my anxiety and depression. I have learned so much about my body’s limits.

This year I’ve continued to listen to my body but have come to the realization that stress is a huge trigger for me. Living with Chronic Migraines at 21 is difficult because I should be going to school and building my future. Unfortunately, my future has been put on hold until I learn to control my body under stress.

Because of the success of last year’s fundraiser, The Danielle Byron Henry Migraine Foundation has created the Headache School and an adolescent support group. The adolescent support group has been the most impactful for me. The other participants have been amazingly supportive. I love having a group of friends who truly understand what I’m going through. I no longer feel so alone.

I’ve changed my lifestyle and will continue to make adjustments until I’m able to live a life that is as close to normal as possible.

Thank you for supporting me and my fellow migraineurs by coming tonight! You don’t know what tonight means to us.

Migraine disease has affected my life in almost every aspect. I used to be a very physically active athlete. Now, I can barely run a mile without having a throbbing migraine. I used to love hanging out on the weekends with my friends—going to dances, parties, or late night movies. Now, all I want to do with my free time is curl up in bed and maybe watch some TV. At times, I feel like I am no longer myself, and that I can no longer enjoy or do the things that make me happiest. Migraine disease has stolen my youth, my health, and my sanity at times. It has taken things from me that I will never be able to get back.

The worst part about this disease however, is that it is invisible. There is no physical evidence of Migraine, no bumps or bruises, any hair loss or discoloration. Because of the covert nature of migraines, I am often misunderstood. My friends don’t understand why I skip out on activities, or would rather go to bed early than go to a party. My family doesn’t understand why I can be so irritable sometimes, but it is hard not to be frustrated when my head is always always always hurting.

I don’t remember what it feels like to wake up and feel “normal”. Not even good, not even great—just simply normal. I wake up every day wishing that this will be the day that I don’t have a headache anymore, but that day hasn’t come yet. I am hoping that with increased awareness and research, the cure will soon be found! Until then, I would advise everyone not to jump to conclusions the next time someone they know doesn’t want to go out, or seems a little frustrated. You honestly never know what other people are going through—they might even have Migraine disease.

I knew about migraines from a young age. I remember as a little girl staying up all night because my head hurt so bad I could not sleep. Long bus rides for school field trips were very difficult for me due to motion sickness. I was, and continue to be bothered by light sensitivity. Simply going from a dimly lit room to bright reflective snow or sunlight hurts. Several members of my family suffer with migraine, episodic migraine, motion sickness, and light sensitivity. As I continued my education, I had migraines and still continued to live my life.

After graduating with a degree in Special Education, I started teaching. While working with a particularly energetic and oppositional student, I received three separate blows to my head. At first I dismissed it, but this pain was different. They sent me to an ER where I was given narcotics for the pain. When there was no improvement, I was referred to a neurologist. I was unable to return to work due to the concussions and eventually was dismissed from my position. The kids were my world, they needed me, and I could not even tell them goodbye. I was recovering from concussions and trying to remember my routines and now everything had changed. I was scared to say my head hurt because I wanted to see the kids I loved so much. I wanted to as much as possible “put things behind me.” I started looking for a new job teaching special education. I did not want the migraine and trauma to follow me. I had an opportunity to start a new job. I still lived in pain. I was still emotional. I still felt depressed and I was still upset. Even in the summer I was having migraine. I was locking myself in my room for days to cry and sulk, and sleep. Bright lights continued to bother me. I was missing out on life. I was sad because I knew this was not just migraine. This was Chronic Migraine.

My first visit to Dr. Henry was in January 2017. I cried tears of joy knowing there is a doctor who knows about migraine and cares. I attend Headache School and yoga weekly. It has been a huge support for me to learn there are other people like me. I am grateful to learn there is hope. It is difficult sometimes not knowing the exact cause, but my migraine journal helps me track triggers, symptoms, times, and treatments.

As a mother of someone who suffers from almost constant headaches, I am quite familiar with the way that migraines and cluster headaches affect my daughter’s life.

Even as early as two days before a migraine begins her mood and well-being are compromised by irritability, depression, sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty concentrating and fatigue. It affects her speech and her comprehension is also impaired. My daughter is brilliant, a member of Mensa, making it especially heart breaking to see her wrestle with these symptoms.

Next comes the actual headache, which is so severe that she keeps her house cool and dark, even going so far to put the deepest light-blocking treatment on her windows and keeping the blinds closed. She struggles with accomplishing anything other than going to work (and frequently having to cut her day short) and sleeping. She is not able to have much of a social life because she never knows when she will be in so much pain that even plans to attend her favorite sources of entertainment — concerts and plays– must be cancelled. Teardra has always been active, accomplishing much in life. The headaches have forced her to take a step back from the citywide book club she runs, the side business she founded, weekly volunteering and ongoing academic endeavors. My husband and I help her out with homework, yard work and housework at times because she is feeling sick so frequently.

Migraines are a debilitating disease that only the sufferer and her family members can know the full extent of how it impedes a person’s ability to live a normal life.

Being a 24-year-old college student with migraine disease is often lonely, depressing and painful. Every morning, I wake up feeling weak, tired and uncomfortable. It’s a struggle to get out of bed. On my “good” days I’m still in pain—often hiding the stabbing, aching and throbbing that so painfully remind me, I’m not normal—and I might never be.

In 11 months, I finally graduate from BYU with a degree in communications. Dr. Henry is confident I’ll be healthy enough to commit to a full-time job upon graduation. I’m not as sure as he is, but I’m pretending to be.

My greatest fear is that I’ll never be able to be a mom. Or if I do become a mom, I won’t be a good one. But there is something inside of me that tells me that I will graduate, I will be able to work a full-time job and I will become a wife and mother. That something is called hope. And it’s the reason I’m still here. My hope is fed by the hope of others that love me— my parents, Dr. Henry, my grandparents, my Savior and my Heavenly Parents. This hope gives life to what often feels like a lifeless Amanda. This hope sustains, lifts and carries me. This hope enables me to love, not blame, my Father in Heaven. Above all, this hope is evident of God’s love, awareness and never-ending grace.

Migraines have been a reoccurring nightmare in my life ever since I was 5 years old. Unpredictable, and rearing its’ ugly head whenever it wants to remind me that they are in control of my life and me. No matter what measures I take to prevent them – they can easily be triggered by even the slightest emotion. They have instilled a constant fear and anxiety in my body – never knowing when the next one will come. At times I’m scared to open my eyes in the morning because of the pain I may feel indicating a migraine.

Migraines have robbed me of the life I’d imagined for my family and myself. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and in 2009 my husband and I were blessed with a healthy baby boy. He is the world to us! After many health challenges and failed attempts at getting pregnant again, we’ve come to the realization that we aren’t able to have any more children of our own. That has been earth shattering for me.

Migraines took my successful career away from, and ended relationships because I’m not always dependable. They steal time and memories from me because I’m unable to attend events. The guilt is insurmountable when I have to explain to my 8 year old that mom can’t come to something special of his because “I’m sick again!”

Migraines can steal a lot of things from me, but it can’t steal my smile or my life – I won’t let it! My fight and stubbornness has become a great strength and power in helping me fight off depression, self doubt and pity. I’ve learned to be easier on myself and to have compassion for the battle I’m fighting, even when others don’t.

Migraines are a lonely disease.

I began getting migraines my senior year in high school. I didn’t think it much of it and began taking Ibuprofen for the pain. The headaches became worse after high school as I started college and life became more stressful. Soon I was taking Ibuprofen and Excedrin multiple times a day EVERYDAY.

The cycle continued for three years, but life was busy and I didn’t think much of it until I developed a stomach ulcer from all the medication I was taking. I hadn’t realized how dependent I had become on the medication and truly how bad my migraines were until I went to see Dr. Henry.

Although I have only been seeing him for 6 months, I am already feeling so much better! I am off of my daily medication regimen and only have to take my rescue medication a few days a week. My overall mood has improved now that headaches don’t plague my daily life anymore. I am so grateful to Dr. Henry for giving me my quality of life back.

I’ve suffered from weekly migraines for 11 years. Not only have they caused so much excruciating physical pain, they’ve also caused so much emotional pain. I’ve missed out on so many important events in life. And, most importantly, I feared I would never be able to get pregnant or be an attentive mother while suffering from these attacks. It wasn’t until I met Dr. Henry 5 years ago that my entire outlook on the future changed. Working with him has restored hope in my life.

I am currently 9 months pregnant, waiting to have this baby any day now! Dr. Henry was by my side the entire way with nerve block treatments so I could have a pain free and medication free pregnancy.

I’m confident I will be able to be an attentive mother because of the treatment and understanding I receive from him. My life and my family’s life are forever changed because of Dr. Dan C. Henry!

I started having chronic headache problems in my 30’s. The only thing I could do to treat them was with over the counter NSAIDS. For the most part this worked. But the headaches persisted and started getting worse. It became a 30-year battle and a personal nightmare. The headaches increased in frequency and intensity each year until I was popping Extra Strength Excedrin like Skittles. Headaches were rebounding and I was killing my stomach.

On a very important business trip to Washington, D.C. a volcano exploded. In a very public setting, I crashed from a three-day nightmare. My wife and I decided it had to end.

We saw Neurologists, Orthopedic specialists, and a long string of doctors. After a visit with Dr. Azarcon, my family doctor, he recommended that I see Dr. Henry who was specializing in treatment of chronic headaches. From the first visit he dug into the symptoms, causes, triggers and spent an enormous amount of time with me. We began a personalized treatment plan and it has taken two years to get the headaches under control, but it is working. I’ve gone from daily headaches to 1 or 2 headaches per month and I can treat them quickly and effectively.

My wife and I decided it was time to retire and eliminate stress triggers from my life. I was old enough to retire but felt a little forced into it. Now we have a home on a modest little farm in Cache County. It’s not a completely headache-free life, but very close to it. Life is good and I feel liberated.

It’s my hope that Dr. Henry and his foundation will be able to produce results for millions of sufferers by providing better education and awareness for patients, primary care physicians, and other caregivers.

I live with migraines. I inherited many wonderful traits from my mother and maternal grandmother, and I take immense pride in that. Unfortunately, I also inherited their migraines. Both my grandmother and especially my mother have dealt with migraines for a large portion of their lives. I would occasionally have a migraine once or twice a year in high school and then perhaps six a year throughout college and the subsequent years. This year, I began having double that amount in a two week span, and migraines have now become a regular part of my life.

Living with migraines is tedious, painful, and isolating. Migraines affect social and professional lives because you to have to cancel dinner plans or miss work. There just isn’t another option. Even going to the grocery store during a migraine cycle can be impossible. There are many times where I can’t even hold a normal conversation because I can’t focus on anything but the building pressure in my head. About every other migraine, I’ll beg my husband to drill a hole in my head because I’m convinced that doing so will FINALLY make my head feel better (obviously, he declines). It can be discouraging to fight something invisible to others while trying to explain that it is so much more than “just a headache”.

Although I have watched others suffer unfairly from migraines, I’ve also learned invaluable lessons. I’ve found that those who suffer from chronic diseases are among a rare group of the most kind and understanding people. That group includes the Henry family. Dr. Henry has shown me kindness, support, and a light for the future. He has given me options I previously did not know exist. Because of the Henry family’s work, many like myself can live functioning, “normal” lives with migraines. Within the Danielle Byron Henry Foundation, there is hope for those who feel hopeless and misunderstood. There could be no greater mission for a foundation than that.

My 17-year-old daughter, Savannah, has suffered with chronic headaches since the age of 10. It started as abdominal migraines (yes, that’s a thing) at 8-years-old.

After years of searching for answers and relief from doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, physical therapists, cranial orthopedics, surgery, medication, sleep studies, a daith piercing, and Botox she was FINALLY diagnosed with New Daily Persistent Headaches by Dr. Henry. He has been instrumental in helping Savvy.

Just recently we were able to celebrate the first day in seven years that she hasn’t had a headache because of a nerve-block injection. While it hasn’t completely eliminated her headaches, she has found some relief. Dr. Henry is our hero and we love that he has dedicated his practice to helping those who suffer from migraines and headaches.