. >> as director of the nvi, an organization that serves long neglected and stigmatized women with chronic vulva pain, as a sufferer myself, it's truly a privilege that i do not take lightly to be before you today to share what some of americans are experiencing in their daily battle against chronic pain. we're very grateful for the committee's work, calling on the iom to study what the iom committee concluded as a national crisis that we have a moral imperative to address. the iom report and today's hear hearing has given us renewed hope. hope that our country is listening to us, cares about our plight, and is ready to enact long overdue change to help us regain some quality of life in our ability to contribute to society. i survived a near fatal accident when i was 15 years old and also found a resolution to the debilitating vulvar pain i experienced in my 20s, but i've had residual back and neck pain. and since 2008 i've developed jaw and facial pain as well as migraine headache. my story echoes the experiences of millions. i'm just one of many. the reality is that my choice in being he