We recently connected with Kristal Kent and have shared our conversation below.
Kristal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Honestly, one of the kindest things that several people have done, is recommend my organization to others for support and resources. Recommending people to my support and advocacy initiatives is a testament of my work helping others in need of support.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Kristal Kent graduated from Baldwin Wallace University with a degree in Criminal Justice, Sociology and Psychology. While in college, Kristal worked as a research assistant for the Sociology Department along worked for the Safety and Security Department as a dispatcher. Kristal is an Army Veteran living with Fibromyalgia who served with the 256th Combat Support Hospital. After being medically discharged due to military injuries, Kristal stayed on with her Army unit, volunteering for 2 1/2 years as the Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader. In this role, she re-invigorated the FRG program, as a supportive extension of the unit for both soldiers and their families. In addition, in her role as the FRG Leader, Kristal upstarted a food pantry to ensure soldiers who were struggling financially, had access to nutritional support and sustenance. Kristal also worked in Social Services for over 20 years in a variety of roles including: Adult Advocacy Coordinator, Patient Care Coordinator, Assertive Community Treatment Specialist, Benefits Coordinator and Supported Employment Services Program Manager. In these roles, Kristal assisted individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, Mental Health Conditions and Veterans who were homeless.
Kristal previously served as a Board of Trustee for the Fibromyalgia Care Society of America, along with served on the WEGO Health Patient Advisory Board, and volunteered for the Cleveland Clinic Patient Panel. Kristal currently serves on the Health Union Patient Leadership Council, is a member of Society for Participatory Medicine, a member of Social Health’s Patient Leader Network, a Co-op member of Savvy Cooperative, and a member of the American Legion.
As a Veteran living with Fibromyalgia, Kristal identified the lack of supports, healthcare options and education for those living with Fibromyalgia, especially Veterans. To address the gap in healthcare and community supports, Kristal created the advocacy initiatives, “The Fibromyalgia Pain Chronicles” and “Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia,” to address inequities in healthcare, engage in VA Policy Advocacy, Legislative Advocacy and Systems Advocacy to illicit positive changes, and improve support systems for those living with Fibromyalgia, PTSD and Chronic Pain.
The Fibromyalgia Pain Chronicles is an online community, connecting individuals with Fibromyalgia, their caregivers and supporters around the world, in an online, networking forum, which provides social support, validation, education and empowerment to those living with Fibromyalgia. Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia is an advocacy initiative supporting Military Service Members, Veterans and First Responders living with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Syndrome. Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia’s Mission Statement is CASE: Community, Advocacy, Support, and Education assisting our Nation’s Heroes living with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Syndrome. In addition, Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia Team Members engage in VA Policy and Legislative Advocacy on behalf of those afflicted with this illness,
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I don’t know if the word “resilience” would be the best description because it is defined as “bouncing back quickly or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Despite its’ definition, resiliency is often a long process of overcoming difficult conditions and evolving into a more determined and passionate person, with a higher level of understanding.
With that said, my determined evolution started in 2000 while I was stationed at Fort Leonardwood, Missouri. It was here my journey of passion and determination to help others began. While at Fort Leonardwood, I sustained several injuries when I was a passenger in a 2 1/2 ton Army Truck that crashed into a ditch. Initially, most of my injuries seemed minor, but time was the true predictor of the severity of my injuries. Overtime, these seemingly minor injuries actually progressed to become significant injuries and medical conditions. The result of this accident I developed arthritis, degenerated disks in my neck and lower back, migraines and pain throughout my body.
As these medical conditions and injuries progressed, it triggered the medical condition fibromyalgia. As the progression of the injuries and medical conditions associated with the military vehicle accident worsened, it wasn’t until 2014 that I was officially diagnosed with degenerative disk disease, degenerative joint disease, arthritis, a connected tissue disorder, migraine disorder, and fibromyalgia. Due to the lengthy time frame of being properly diagnosed, and lack of treatment options, I upstarted “The Fibromyalgia Pain Chronicles” in late 2014, to promote awareness, provide support to people living with fibromyalgia and chronic pain conditions, along with engage in advocacy and educational initiatives to support the fibromyalgia community.
As a disabled army veteran living with fibromyalgia and several other chronic pain conditions, I recognized there was a gap of support, access to health care, and treatment options for veterans living with fibromyalgia and or chronic pain conditions. It is because of this gap and lack of support for military personnel and veterans alike, that motivated me to upstart “Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia” (VVFF) in 2018. As a nonprofit organization supporting veterans and military personnel living with fibromyalgia, chronic pain syndrome, Gulf War illness, etc. VVFF engages in Patient Rights Advocacy, VA policy Advocacy and Legislative Advocacy. In addition, VVFF provides educational sources, resources, and support to our nation’s military service members and veterans.
While many people may define my personal journey as a path of resilience, my journey is more defined by my persistence, passion and determination, to support others who are living a life with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Through my journey and advocacy efforts, I hope people feel seen, heard and validated. I suppose my journey would be better defined as living a purpose driven life; to help others overcome the barriers and obstacles they contend with, living with fibromyalgia, chronic pain conditions, Gulf War Illness, and mental health conditions.
Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?
Being successful in anything in life whether it’s personal, professional or through volunteerism, you could have all the training and knowledge to do well in a selected field or life aspect, but the most important things you need to excel in any area of your life’s work is passion, patience, active listening skills and a team of people who are just as passionate and invested as you are, to be successful. Some of the most successful people in the world, are those who did not graduate high school, nor went to college, and did not have money to invest into a project, business, or nonprofit organization. Yet, many of these individuals are highly successful because they are driven by passion, determination, creativity, and surround themselves with like-minded people who also want to positively impact the world around them. Without these key components, it doesn’t matter what college you want to it does not matter how much money you have or don’t have, the recipe for success includes many factors such as creating a positive team environment, recognizing everyone has a skill set to contribute to the team’s success, and the passion and drive business to propel your Business, project, and/or philanthropy forward. Finally, those individuals who are highly successful in their field, always recognize that it is a team effort. A true leader is not concerned with personal recognition, rather they are investing in the success of their team, highlighting all the contributions by every team member, which contributed to the overall success of your business, project or advocacy initiatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.veteranvoicesforfibromyalgia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefibropainchronicles/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FibroPainChronicles/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristalkent/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/TheFibromyalgiaPainChroniclesTM
- Other: Facebook – Veteran Voices For Fibromyalgia: https://www.facebook.com/VeteranVoices4Fibro Social Health Network: https://www.wegohealth.com/Kristal