Daniel King, 26, worked at the National Headache Foundation to help educate college students about this chronic, debilitating disease.
During a migraine attack, even the softest sounds can be ear-piercing, the darkest rooms excruciatingly bright, and the nausea unrelenting. I was diagnosed with migraine when I was 10, and ever since, the attacks have been debilitating. Prescription drugs were available, but as a child I had reliable access only to over-the-counter medication.
By my junior year in high school, my once-a-month attacks became more frequent and crippling. I became more sensitive to light and had to recover in dark rooms. At the beginning of that year, I was ranked in the top 10 in my class of nearly 300; at the end, I was third from the bottom. I was a good student, but I missed so many days I couldn't keep up with my schoolwork. By that point, I was taking the prescription medication sumatriptan (Imitrex), and later zolmitriptan (Zomig), but the side effects of nausea and vomiting were severe.
Despite my migraine attacks, I participated in many sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, and football. As the disease worsened in my late teens, I had to stop playing contact sports and reluctantly switched to golf. I did well enough to play at the collegiate level, but I missed the camaraderie and friendships I had found in the other sports.
After graduating, I commuted to a small college in northwest Indiana, which allowed me to live at home and have a familiar place to recover from more frequent migraine attacks—nearly three a week. I eventually transferred to Purdue University, where I figured out how to adapt to my condition. I slept during the day when I could and did my schoolwork after midnight, when my roommates were asleep and I didn't have to worry about light and noises triggering any attacks.
I started volunteering with the National Headache Foundation and helped with its annual gala and fundraiser. I also traveled to Washington, DC, with other advocates to lobby Congress for increased research funding for migraine. For the first time I felt part of a larger circle.
Eventually I was offered a full-time position, created specifically for me and my skills in advocacy and policy. My favorite part was managing and promoting Migraine University, a nationwide program providing education and resources for college students with migraine and headache disorders. I visited several schools in the Chicago area, where I talked about patient resources at the foundation, available treatment options, and educational accommodations that their own schools offered for disabling medical conditions. I was always surprised by how few students were aware of these resources and information. I also had to remind them that migraine is not just a headache; it is a legitimate disability. Most told me they were experiencing several attacks a month while also juggling classes, busy social lives, jobs, and sports.
College students today have more treatment options, including the newer CGRP-blocking medications, which can reduce the frequency of attacks. Thanks to one of these drugs, I get a migraine only about once a month, compared with three times a week when I was a student.
I've since left the foundation and now work in economic development in Alaska, but I look forward to participating in future advocacy events. I'm proud of the years I spent with the foundation and grateful that I was able to support young people and help them access much needed resources—and welcome them into our great community.
